MATONES DE LA SECCION DE INTERESES DE CUBA EN WASHINGTON D.C. ATACAN A MANIFESTANTES

MATONES DE LA SECCIÓN DE INTERESES DE CUBA EN WASHINGTON D.C. ATACAN A MANIFESTANTES

TWO SEPARATE STORIES OF THE SAME INCIDENT

One by Jorge Rodríguez and one by Victor Triay

An extremely troubling incident occurred this past Friday at 7:30 P.M.

A group of Cuban-Americans, including myself, were peacefully protesting in front of the Cuban Interests section on 16th street.

We were on the sidewalk in front of the Section. Officials inside the buidling were visibly very uspet at our presence as we were drawing lots of attention from people passing by and we were interviewed by ABC.

The purpose of the protest was to ask the Cuban government to permit Elian's father to speak freely without any fear of intimidation. We were also raising awareness about the fact there is no free speech or freddom of assembly in Cuba --and Elian would face such oppression if we were returend to Cuba.

At about 7:30 p.m., the interests section opened its gates and approximately 15 Cuban agents/officials attacked our group. I was personally assaulted and various members in the group were hit by these thugs. There was a woman in our group that was slammed on the floor.

We were interviewed by the press. We have filed a complaint and criminal chrages against the perpetrators. We are also considering pressing charges against two secret service agents who were across the street and did nothing to help us out or come to assist us. In fact, they dissapared when the police and other secret service agents showed up and no one has been able to tell us who they were.

I want to press criminal charges against those who commited this unbelievable atrocity. We need all of you to be aware of this event as an illustration of the kind oppresive system exists in Cuba and one where the U.S gov. wants to return Elian to.

We need all of you to call your contacts in the media and eslewhere to get this story rolling. This will do very serious damage to Cuba's credibility and the credibility of those who are watching Juan Miguel Gonzalez here in D.C..

We need a very big show of solidarity this Sunday in Bethesda. Please bring people to this event. Also, we are planning to go to the interests section again to protest after the Palm Sunday event this Sunday. We need lots of people there also to bring world attention to what happened this past Friday and to show the Cuban authorities that we are not afraid of there intimidation tactics. Also, we will porbably show uo at the interests section this Monday as there are more people coming in and out of the Interests Section.

These events are crucial.

END

Jorge Rodriguez

We had quite an incident on Friday night. I went with a friend of mine who is living in New York (Alvaro Larin) to Washington, D.C., to take part in a demonstration in front of the Cuban Interests Section.

There were about 20 of us, including the guys who run "NoCastro.com." We were there with Cuban and American flags and various posters defending Elian's rights.

Many in our group were Cuban Americans in their twenties and thirties. Anyhow, the people inside the Interests Section kept flipping us "the bird," etc., through the window but we were very nice and non-belligerent.

Suddenly, the gate that lets the cars in and out opened and anywhere from between fifteen to twenty-five men emerged, shouting obscenities, and poured into the sidewalk. They mmediately attacked us with fists and sticks, even hitting knocking down women. We defended ourselves however we could. Some uniformed Secret Service across the street came over and broke up the fight.

We were told to go across the street and we did so. Soon after, the local news came, as did the police. We called Radio Mambi, and they were in the middle of "Mesa Redonda," so the guy who called was on live. We are filing criminal charges and pursuing a law suit--one of the ones on our side is a lawyer with a big D.C. firm.

END

Victor Triay
triayv@gateway.net

CUBAN OFFICIALS ASSAULT US CITIZENS IN WASHINGTON, DC

Press Conference Tuesday, April 18 at 12 p.m.
Washington, DC -

On the evening of Friday, April 14, 2000, approximately 15 men from the Cuban Interest Section in Washington, DC exited the gate of their compound and assaulted US Citizens outside on the sidewalk. According to the police report filed by uniformed Secret Service officers who witnessed the incident, "Cuban employees of the mission came out and began to assault the demonstrators on the front sidewalk."

The people assaulted, including students, professionals and government employees, had been holding a peaceful vigil for Elián Gonzalez. "Cuban diplomats applied tactics which are routinely used in Cuba to silence opposition. Harassment and intimidation will not be tolerated in the U.S. and we want the Clinton Administration to take concrete steps to investigate and hold these lawbreakers accountable," Mauricio Claver-Carone said.

The U.S. Secret Service and Federal Bureau of Investigation have begun investigations into this incident and have requested information from the Cuban Interests Section, which has been denied. Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has requested the State Department and FBI to review this matter.

Miami Mayor Joe Carollo spoke to US Attorney General Janet Reno and requested a full investigation of last Friday events. The Attorney General committed to a full investigation and asked Mr. Carollo to participate in obtaining the statements from the students and other involves.

A press conference will be held tomorrow Tuesday, April 18, 2000 at 12 p.m. in front of the Cuban Interests Section located at 2630 16 Street, N.W. Miami Mayor Joe Carollo will join the victims of the attack.

"Cuban diplomats chose to violate our laws and must be held accountable for their attack on peaceful protestors," concluded Israel Moya.

DC Police launch an investigation
Date: 04/19/2000 6:06:57

Ayer Carollo en su entrevista hablo sobre el telefono en Miami de Alvaro Sanchez Cifuentes, conocido comentarista radial con el cual trabaje y les digo que es de lo peor, cuando se referia al wallet que encontraran en el piso, donde fueran golpeados los manifestantes y que segun los papeles e indentificaciones que contenian, pertenecia al primer agregado de la embajada cubana en Washington, quiere decir que eso los vincula. Tenemos al enemigo en casa, codeandose con nosotros, convivimos con la bestia y tenemos que desenmascararlos.

GPeiro5764@aol.com

Subj: DC Police launch an investigation...But Castro can get away with murder.
Date: 04/19/2000 2:50:16 AM Central Daylight Time
From: Kra Z Qban
To: Kra Z Qban
BCC: CUBACUBANA

Cuban Mission Attack Probed

By GEORGE GEDDA
.c The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - District police said Tuesday they have launched a criminal investigation into allegations that some 15 people from the Cuban diplomatic mission here assaulted Cuban-American protesters who were demanding that 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez remain in the United States.

Some of the protesters suffered minor injuries in the fracas just before nightfall last Friday and were treated at local hospitals.

The disclosure came as the State Department summoned a top Cuban diplomat here to express ``extreme concern'' over the beatings. The diplomat, asked for an explanation, did not comment on the allegations but said he hoped to obtain an explanation later, said a department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Sgt. Joe Gentile, a Metropolitan Police Department spokesman, said the incident is being investigated as a simple assault. He would not comment further.

If Cuban diplomats were involved, they would not be subject to prosecution because of diplomatic immunity. But officials said that would not prevent an investigation from being carried out.

Several protesters, speaking at a midday news conference Tuesday in front of the Cuban mission, said an all-male group emerged from the Cuban mission building and started pummeling the demonstrators, believed to number about 14.

``I was punched twice in the face,'' said Mauricio Claver Carone, a college student. ``I have bruises on my chest.''

Estrella Carie Noda, a U.S. government employee, said she suffered black and blue marks on her arms and legs.

Brigida Benitez, a lawyer who was not at the news conference, said in a telephone interview that she was grabbed by the arms and thrown into the street. Her husband, Jorge, said that after suffering a blow to the head, he experienced fogginess and was diagnosed at a hospital as having a minor head trauma. He also suffered a contusion on his head.

Others required hospitalization but it was not clear how many.

Luis Fernandez, a spokesman for the Cuban mission, would not comment on the allegations. However, he said people hostile to Cuba and to Elian's father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez, ``have been performing provocative actions against the integrity and dignity of our diplomatic mission, disrupting its normal functions.''

The protesters insulted women and children at the mission and also passed objects through the fence, Fernandez said.

Miami Mayor Joe Carollo, who was among those who spoke to reporters, said Attorney General Janet Reno told him Monday she planned to investigate the incident. Later, Reno said she had asked Carollo to make sure he reported the occurrence to the local police and said she would follow if the complainants had trouble in getting the assistance they needed.

News media camera crews had been deployed at the interest section most of the day Friday but left before the incident took place.

Witnesses said two agents from the Secret Service, which has responsibility for protecting diplomatic missions, struck the assailants with batons to induce them to stop. When reinforcements were summoned, the assailants retreated back onto the mission grounds, the witnesses said.

The episode added yet another bizarre twist to the saga of Elian Gonzalez, who has been at the center of a custody fight between his Cuban father and Cuban-American relatives since he was rescued from the ocean south of Florida last November. His father has been here since April 6, trying to recover custody of his son.

The news conference took place under a steady rain across the street from the three-story sand-colored structure that houses the Cuban mission. An official with a videocamera could be seen taping the proceedings from a second story window.

Subj: Motivo del envio de los numeros telefonicos del agente de inteligencia Cifuente
Date: 04/18/2000 11:11:44 PM Central Daylight Time

4/18/00 4:18:21 PM Pacific Daylight Time

« A uno de los esbirros-diplomaticos de Castro que salio a golpear a los exiliados en Washington, se le cayo una libreta de direcciones, y saben que? uno de los telefonos que tenia es el de Álvaro Sánchez Cifuentes, »

Subj: Justo Amado solicita la divulgacion de este mensaje.
Date: 04/18/2000 11:07:49 PM Central Daylight Time
From: LavozdeCubaLibre

In a message dated 4/18/00 6:12:04 PM Pacific Daylight Time, JustoAmado writes:

«Armando Collazo, Primer Secretario de Asuntos Consulares. Fue el mismo enviado por la Secc. de Intereses a Representar a los 100 y pico de "Intelectuales" que vino a Miami entre los telefonos que tenia estan los siguientes:

Cifuentes:
Casa: (954) 986-4561
Celular: (305) 389-6180
Radio:(305) 759-2689

Por favor divulgar y caerle arriba, por comunista y agente del G-2...

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