The Varela Project () is a project that was started in 1998 by
Oswaldo Payá
Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas (29 February 1952 – 22 July 2012) was a Cuban political activist. A devout Catholic, he founded the Christian Liberation Movement in 1987 to oppose the one-party rule of the Cuban Communist Party. He attracted ...
of the
Christian Liberation Movement
The Christian Liberation Movement ( or simply MCL) is a Cuban dissident party advocating political change in Cuba. MCL was founded in 1987 by a group of secular Catholics belonging to the Parish of Cerro, in Havana. From the movement's founding ...
(MCL) and named after Felix Varela, a Cuban religious leader.
Many members were imprisoned during the Black Spring in 2003.
The Varela Project citizens' initiative
The purpose of the Varela Project was to circulate a proposal of law advocating for democratic political reforms within Cuba, such as the establishment of
freedom of association
Freedom of association encompasses both an individual's right to join or leave groups voluntarily, the right of the group to take collective action to pursue the interests of its members, and the right of an association to accept or decline membe ...
,
freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...
,
freedom of the press
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic Media (communication), media, especially publication, published materials, shoul ...
, free
election
An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative d ...
s,
freedom of religion
Freedom of religion or religious liberty, also known as freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice ...
amnesty
Amnesty () is defined as "A pardon extended by the government to a group or class of people, usually for a political offense; the act of a sovereign power officially forgiving certain classes of people who are subject to trial but have not yet be ...
for
political prisoner
A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention.
There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although ...
s.
About 11,000 Cubans signed the reformist Varela Project citizens' initiative.David Altman, ''Direct Democracy Worldwide'' (Cambridge University Press), 2011), p. 112. The US State Department's 2005 report on Cuba in ''
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices Country Reports on Human Rights Practices are annual publications on the human rights conditions in countries and regions outside the United States, mandated by U.S. law to be submitted annually by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor o ...
'' (issued in 2006) stated that "activists reported increased harassment by State Security agents. Authorities arrested and detained Varela activists, confiscated signatures, fined and threatened activists and signers, and forced signers to rescind signatures. State Security impersonated canvassing volunteers and increasingly infiltrated the ranks of activists. In May and June, Oswaldo Paya reported State Security agents visited and pressured more than 50 Varela Project signatories to retract their signatures and denounce the Varela Project activists who had collected their signatures." The US State Department's 2004 report on Cuba referred to the Cuban Penal Code concept of " dangerousness," defined as the "special proclivity of a person to commit crimes, demonstrated by his conduct in manifest contradiction of socialist norms." The report said that "If the police decide that a person exhibits signs of dangerousness, they may bring the offender before a court or subject him to therapy or political reeducation". According to the
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (the IACHR or, in the three other official languages Spanish, French, and Portuguese language, Portuguese CIDH, ''Comisión Interamericana de los Derechos Humanos'', ''Commission Interaméricaine des ...
, this provision "amounted to a subjective criterion used by the Government to justify violations of individual freedoms and due process for persons whose sole crime was to hold a view different from the official view".
The Cuban government refused to consider the petition, and the Cuban National Assembly's Constitution and Legal Affairs Committee suspended its consideration, and responded to the Varela Project with a "counter-initiative" to enshrine "irrevocable socialism" in the Cuban Constitution. The
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
reported that, over a two-week period, 9 million Cubans took to the streets and 99% of all Cuban citizens signed a petition endorsing the constitutional amendment. The BBC said that many Cubans felt pressured into signing the government's petition. An extraordinary session of the National Assembly unanimously approved the amendment in June 2002. The government closed schools, offices, and factory during the session, and nationally televised the speeches; no mention was made of the Varela Project citizens' initiative during the event.
Support for Varela Project
The
Cuban exile
A Cuban exile is a person who has been exiled from Cuba. Many Cuban exiles have various differing experiences as emigrants depending on when they emigrated from Cuba, and why they emigrated.
The exile of Cubans has been a dominating factor in C ...
community in the United States was split on the Varela Project. Many hard-liners opposed the project out of fears that a reformist proposal would legitimize the Castro regime, and a radio commentator at Radio Mambi said that he was fired for publicly supporting the project. The Cuban American National Foundation under Jorge Mas Santos, supported the Varela Project.
The Varela Project was lauded by former
U.S. President
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...
when he made a historic visit to
Havana
Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Cuban dissident collects EU prize BBC News (December 17, 2002). The
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
The Cuban government dismissed the Varela Project and its petition. The Cuban government said that the project was part of a "counterrevolutionary" plot and "strategy of subversion against Cuba" orchestrated by the United States and the U.S. Interests Section in Havana.
In March 2003, Cuba arrested 75 human rights activists and dissidents, including 25 members of the Varela Project, on a variety of charges. The dissidents were sentenced in public trials to prison terms of between 6 and 28 years for "mercenary activities and other acts against the independence or territorial integrity of the state".
Amnesty International
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...
said it was concerned that the 75 jailed activists may be
prisoners of conscience
A prisoner of conscience (POC) is anyone imprisoned because of their race, sexual orientation, religion, or political views. The term also refers to those who have been imprisoned or persecuted for the nonviolent expression of their conscienti ...
who were imprisoned for their non-violent advocacy for
democracy
Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...
. According to the US State Department, many of those arrested had no access to attorneys until the day of their trial, which was by a judge subordinate to the Communist Party. The
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is a department of the United Nations Secretariat that works to promote and protect human rights that are guaranteed under international law and stipulated in the Univers ...
expressed concern regarding the arrests and summary trials.
The US State Department said "Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia, a Varela Project leader and one of the 75 activists arrested in March 2003, reported serving 45 days in a punishment cell for protesting the suspension of correspondence and the delivery of food and medical supplies from his family. He did not receive food or water during the first 3 days of his confinement and slept on a cement floor. Authorities confiscated his Bible and prohibited any contact with other prisoners. Ferrer was serving a 25 year sentence for "acts against the independence or the territorial integrity of the State.""
According to the US State Department, "Fabio Prieto Llorente, one of the 75 activists arrested in March 2003, reported he was held in a small cell with leaky walls and a cement slab for a bed. The cell was infested with rats, frogs, and insects".
The US State Department said "Yarai Reyes, wife of Normando Hernandez Gonzalez, 1 of the 75 political prisoners arrested in March 2003, reported that prison authorities incited common prisoners to beat her husband".
According to the US State Department "Barbara Rojo Arias, wife of Omar Ruiz Hernandez, an independent journalist and 1 of the 75 human rights activists arrested in March 2003, reported that her husband was denied access to required medications for his heart condition and stomach problems.
The US State Department said "Oscar Espinosa Chepe, a political prisoner released during the year, reported that prison officials regularly denied him adequate medical treatment during his 20-month incarceration".
The US State Department said that Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet "was sent to a punishment cell for refusing to eat in the prison cafeteria, wear the uniform of common prisoners, and stand at attention when guards entered his cell. He was not permitted to read, write, or leave his cell to get exercise. In addition, prison authorities refused to accept food and medical supplies brought by Morejon or permit anyone to bring him food. As a result, Biscet found himself on a virtual hunger strike".