Cuban Democratic Directorate (Directorio)
Encyclopedia
The Cuban Democratic Directorate (Directorio Democratico Cubano) is a nongovernmental organization
that supports the human rights
movement in Cuba.
Directorio's aims are to support for freedom, democracy
and human rights in Cuba by way of nonviolent civic struggle
. Based in the United States, they claim supporting Cuban opposition organizations by providing humanitarian and material support, facilitating exchanges of information with the Cuban people, for example by connecting foreign journalists with sources in Cuba, and building international solidarity for the opposition movement in Cuba. Directorio is a signatory of the Agreement for Democracy in Cuba. Originally drafted in 1998 ahead of Pope John Paul II's trip to Cuba, the 10-point document calls for, among other things, free elections on the island and the release of political prisoners. More than 120 organizations, both in Cuba and abroad, have signed it. Directorio is a member of the Christian Democrat Organization of America
.
's International Committee for Democracy in Cuba
. They also support human rights activists by publicizing their work and activities through the Steps to Freedom reports, news updates on their websites, as well as publishing books by activists such as student leader Nestor Rodriguez Lobaina's "Con el Alma Cautiva" (With a Captive Soul).
. To date, it is the only attempt at a systematic study on the Island's growing civil society
.
Its findings have been featured in the peer-reviewed Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies and in National Review
magazine. According to Steps to Freedom, civic resistance actions in Cuba have increased every year from 1998 to 2004.
and instruments like the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
about human rights violations in Cuba by relaying reports from activists there.
The group took the name Directorio Revolucionario Democrático Cubano (Cuban Democratic Revolutionary Directorate) in honor of the tradition begun in the late 1920s in Havana whereby university students began forming "directorates" to defend citizens' basic liberties and rights from supposed government violations. In March 2002, members chose to change the name to Directorio Democrático Cubano (Cuban Democratic Directorate) to better reflect the primacy of democratic values in the organization's vision and goals since its founding.
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
that supports the human rights
Human rights in Cuba
Human Rights Watch is among international human rights organizations accusing the Cuban government of systematic human rights abuses, including torture, arbitrary imprisonment, unfair trials, and extrajudicial execution....
movement in Cuba.
Directorio's aims are to support for freedom, democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
and human rights in Cuba by way of nonviolent civic struggle
Nonviolent resistance
Nonviolent resistance is the practice of achieving goals through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation, and other methods, without using violence. It is largely synonymous with civil resistance...
. Based in the United States, they claim supporting Cuban opposition organizations by providing humanitarian and material support, facilitating exchanges of information with the Cuban people, for example by connecting foreign journalists with sources in Cuba, and building international solidarity for the opposition movement in Cuba. Directorio is a signatory of the Agreement for Democracy in Cuba. Originally drafted in 1998 ahead of Pope John Paul II's trip to Cuba, the 10-point document calls for, among other things, free elections on the island and the release of political prisoners. More than 120 organizations, both in Cuba and abroad, have signed it. Directorio is a member of the Christian Democrat Organization of America
Christian Democrat Organization of America
The Christian Democrat Organization of America is an international organization made up of political parties, groups and associations that share Christian humanist principles...
.
Internationally
Directorio actively represents the interests of the Cuban opposition movement before international human rights organizations and foreign governments. Directorio frequently participates in conferences and programs organized by Václav HavelVáclav Havel
Václav Havel is a Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician. He was the tenth and last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic . He has written over twenty plays and numerous non-fiction works, translated internationally...
's International Committee for Democracy in Cuba
International Committee for Democracy in Cuba
The International Committee for Democracy in Cuba was created in September 2003 as "a response to the latest brutal crackdown by the Cuban government in the spring of that year against those pushing for democratic reforms, freedom of speech and adherence to international human rights...
. They also support human rights activists by publicizing their work and activities through the Steps to Freedom reports, news updates on their websites, as well as publishing books by activists such as student leader Nestor Rodriguez Lobaina's "Con el Alma Cautiva" (With a Captive Soul).
Steps to Freedom Report
Directorio publishes an annual report on the Cuban democracy movement called "Steps to Freedom" which analyzes the movement's civic resistance actions according to a framework drawn from the work of Gene SharpGene Sharp
Gene Sharp is Professor Emeritus of political science at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. He is known for his extensive writings on nonviolent struggle, which have influenced numerous anti-government resistance movements around the world.-Biography:Sharp was born in Ohio, the son of an...
. To date, it is the only attempt at a systematic study on the Island's growing civil society
Civil society
Civil society is composed of the totality of many voluntary social relationships, civic and social organizations, and institutions that form the basis of a functioning society, as distinct from the force-backed structures of a state , the commercial institutions of the market, and private criminal...
.
Its findings have been featured in the peer-reviewed Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies and in National Review
National Review
National Review is a biweekly magazine founded by the late author William F. Buckley, Jr., in 1955 and based in New York City. It describes itself as "America's most widely read and influential magazine and web site for conservative news, commentary, and opinion."Although the print version of the...
magazine. According to Steps to Freedom, civic resistance actions in Cuba have increased every year from 1998 to 2004.
Radio Republica
Directorio also operates Radio Republica, a radio station that transmits programming 7 days a week via shortwave and AM signals to Cuba. Its programming is focused on internal Cuban social dynamics and features extensive coverage of the opposition movement, international news relating to Cuba, and social issues on the island.Non-Cooperation Campaign
Directorio has been one of the exile organizations most active in supporting the "Yo No Coopero con la Dictadura" (I Do Not Cooperate with the Dictatorship) campaign launched by political prisoners Jorge Luis Garcia Perez Antunez and Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia in 2005. Activists in Cuba carry out street protests, processions, and fasts as part of this initiative. In 2007, Directorio supported an effort to boycott elections in Cuba called "No a la Farsa Electoral" (No to the Electoral Farce).Human Rights
Directorio helps inform international human rights organizations like Amnesty InternationalAmnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
and instruments like the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is an autonomous organ of the Organization of American States .Along with the...
about human rights violations in Cuba by relaying reports from activists there.
History
Founded in 1990 at the International Congress of Cuban Youth for a Free Cuba in Miami Beach, the Directorio began primarily as an organization of students and professionals in their 20s and 30s who wanted to contribute to the fall of the socialist government on the island.The group took the name Directorio Revolucionario Democrático Cubano (Cuban Democratic Revolutionary Directorate) in honor of the tradition begun in the late 1920s in Havana whereby university students began forming "directorates" to defend citizens' basic liberties and rights from supposed government violations. In March 2002, members chose to change the name to Directorio Democrático Cubano (Cuban Democratic Directorate) to better reflect the primacy of democratic values in the organization's vision and goals since its founding.
External links
- http://www.directorio.org
- http://www.radiorepublica.org
- http://www.jis3.org/volxviii.htm Abstract for "Steps to Freedom," a scholarly article on the origins and gains of the Cuban civic movement.
- http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/cuba/story/220979.html News article covering Directorio role in a united front of Cuban democracy advocates
- http://www.oas.org/oaspage/videosondemand/home_eng/videos_query.asp?sCodigo=07-0243# Directorio reports on prison conditions in Cuba before the Organization of American States. 128th Regular Session of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR): Case Hearings. (Sixth video on page)