Oswaldo Payá
Encyclopedia
Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas is a political activist in Cuba
and is considered that country's most prominent political dissident. He received the Sakharov Prize
in 2002. In 2005, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize
by former Czech President Václav Havel
, with fellow Cuban dissidents Raul Rivero
and Óscar Elías Biscet
.
family and would have been six or seven years old when in 1959 the Cuban government began to suppress the activities of the Catholic Church. In his youth he chose not to join the Communist Party
or its youth organizations, but at the age of 16 was drafted into the Cuban Army
. During his service he was punished for refusing to participate in transporting a group of prisoner
s and was sentenced to penal labour
on the Isle of Pines (today known as the Isle of Youth
) for three years. A devout Christian, he has ascribed the incident which led to his punishment to a refusal to compromise his religious beliefs. Subsequently trained as an engineer, today he works making anaesthetic equipment. He is married with three children.
in 1988. Created by secular Catholics it is today a non-denominational political organisation seeking to further the civic and human rights of Cubans.
In 1992, Payá publicly announced for the first time his intention to run for representative to Cuba’s national legislative body, the National Assembly of Popular Power. Two days before the deadline to register his candidacy at the Assembly of Postulation, he was detained by police at his home and taken to a “Committee for the Defense of the Revolution” center, where he was awaited by officers of the Cuban Communist Party (CCP). The CCP conducted a closed session of the Assembly that lasted only a few minutes and included CCP supporters only. http://www.oswaldopaya.org/es/sobre-oswaldo/
In 1997, Payá and other members of the Christian Liberation Movement collected hundreds of signatures in support of their candidacy to the National Assembly. It was the first time that citizens had presented themselves as candidates with popular support and without the government’s backing; however, the electoral commission did not accept their candidacies.
Payá founded the Varela Project
and remains its most prominent member. The Varela Project collected more than 10,000 signatures from Cubans on the island to present an appeal to the government for legislative changes via a national referendum. Cuba’s constitution empowers citizens to put to a national referendum any proposal that receives at least 10,000 signatures from registered Cuban citizens. These changes, had they been accepted by the government and approved by popular vote, would have introduced in Cuba freedom of association, freedom of expression, freedom of press, free elections, the right to operate private businesses, and amnesty for the political prisoners. In 2002, Payá presented in person over 11,000 signatures supporting the Varela Project to the National Assembly, and in 2004 he presented 14,000 additional signatures. However, the National Assembly has ignored this constitutional request.
Although his political activity is tolerated and in a few instances he has been allowed to travel abroad, Payá reports that both he and his family are subject to routine intimidation. Today there are approximately 300 political prisoners in Cuba, including members of the Christian Liberation Movement
and supporters of the Varela Project
:
His "Program for all Cubans" has also been criticized for excluding Cuba exiles from the first elections while allowing members of the Cuban Communist Party the right to vote. http://www.nationaldialoguecuba.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=117&Itemid=111&mos_change_template=JPTheme&lang=en#trans (See Transitory Provisions Relating to Chapter 2, Second)
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and is considered that country's most prominent political dissident. He received the Sakharov Prize
Sakharov Prize
The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, named after Soviet scientist and dissident Andrei Sakharov, was established in December 1988 by the European Parliament as a means to honour individuals or organisations who have dedicated their lives to the defence of human rights and freedom of thought...
in 2002. In 2005, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
by former Czech President Václav Havel
Václav 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...
, with fellow Cuban dissidents Raul Rivero
Raúl Rivero
Raúl Rivero Castañeda is a Cuban poet, journalist, and dissident. Rivero was born in 1945 in Morón, Camagüey, in central Cuba.In his youth, he was an ardent follower of Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution. He was among the first generation of journalists to graduate after the triumph of the...
and Óscar Elías Biscet
Oscar Elías Biscet
Óscar Elías Biscet González , is a Cuban medical professional and a noted advocate for human rights and democratic freedoms in Cuba. He is also the founder of the Lawton Foundation....
.
Background
Oswaldo Payá was brought up in a CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
family and would have been six or seven years old when in 1959 the Cuban government began to suppress the activities of the Catholic Church. In his youth he chose not to join the Communist Party
Communist party
A political party described as a Communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of communism through a communist form of government...
or its youth organizations, but at the age of 16 was drafted into the Cuban Army
Military of Cuba
The Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces consist of ground forces, naval forces, air and air defence forces, and other paramilitary bodies including the Territorial Troops Militia , Revolutionary Armed Forces , and Youth Labor Army .The armed forces has long been the...
. During his service he was punished for refusing to participate in transporting a group of prisoner
Prisoner
A prisoner is someone incarcerated in a prison, jail or similar facility.Prisoner or The Prisoner may also refer to:* Prisoner of war, a soldier in wartime, held as by an enemy* Political prisoner, someone held in prison for their ideology...
s and was sentenced to penal labour
Penal labour
Penal labour is a form of unfree labour in which prisoners perform work, typically manual labour. The work may be light or hard, depending on the context. Forms of sentence which involve penal labour include penal servitude and imprisonment with hard labour...
on the Isle of Pines (today known as the Isle of Youth
Isle of Youth
Isla de la Juventud is the second-largest Cuban island and the seventh-largest island in the West Indies . The island has an area and is 100 km south of the island of Cuba, across the Gulf of Batabanó...
) for three years. A devout Christian, he has ascribed the incident which led to his punishment to a refusal to compromise his religious beliefs. Subsequently trained as an engineer, today he works making anaesthetic equipment. He is married with three children.
Christian Liberation Movement
Oswaldo Payá became a founder member of the Christian Liberation MovementChristian Liberation Movement
The Christian Liberation Movement is a Cuban dissident movement advocating political change in Cuba. The movement is led by Oswaldo Payá and was founded in 1988 by a group of secular Catholics belonging to the Parish of Cerro, in Havana...
in 1988. Created by secular Catholics it is today a non-denominational political organisation seeking to further the civic and human rights of Cubans.
In 1992, Payá publicly announced for the first time his intention to run for representative to Cuba’s national legislative body, the National Assembly of Popular Power. Two days before the deadline to register his candidacy at the Assembly of Postulation, he was detained by police at his home and taken to a “Committee for the Defense of the Revolution” center, where he was awaited by officers of the Cuban Communist Party (CCP). The CCP conducted a closed session of the Assembly that lasted only a few minutes and included CCP supporters only. http://www.oswaldopaya.org/es/sobre-oswaldo/
In 1997, Payá and other members of the Christian Liberation Movement collected hundreds of signatures in support of their candidacy to the National Assembly. It was the first time that citizens had presented themselves as candidates with popular support and without the government’s backing; however, the electoral commission did not accept their candidacies.
Varela Project
In 1998, together with other members of the Christian Liberation MovementChristian Liberation Movement
The Christian Liberation Movement is a Cuban dissident movement advocating political change in Cuba. The movement is led by Oswaldo Payá and was founded in 1988 by a group of secular Catholics belonging to the Parish of Cerro, in Havana...
Payá founded the Varela Project
Varela Project
The Varela Project is a project that was started in 1998 by Oswaldo Payá of the Christian Liberation Movement and named after Felix Varela, a Cuban religious leader...
and remains its most prominent member. The Varela Project collected more than 10,000 signatures from Cubans on the island to present an appeal to the government for legislative changes via a national referendum. Cuba’s constitution empowers citizens to put to a national referendum any proposal that receives at least 10,000 signatures from registered Cuban citizens. These changes, had they been accepted by the government and approved by popular vote, would have introduced in Cuba freedom of association, freedom of expression, freedom of press, free elections, the right to operate private businesses, and amnesty for the political prisoners. In 2002, Payá presented in person over 11,000 signatures supporting the Varela Project to the National Assembly, and in 2004 he presented 14,000 additional signatures. However, the National Assembly has ignored this constitutional request.
National Dialogue and Program for All Cubans
In 2003, Payá and other leaders commenced a National Dialogue process in which over 12,000 Cubans on and off the island discussed their visions for Cuba’s future in over 3,000 discussion groups, using a "working document" as a baseline for discussion. Their comments and suggestions were systematically compiled and incorporated into the Program for All Cubans, which Payá publicly presented in 2006 as a path to a peaceful and democratic transition. Learn more about the National Dialogue here. Read the Program for All Cubans here.General Profile
Unlike some Cuban dissidents he does not accept aid from U.S. government sources and opposes the current U.S. Cuban embargo stating in 2000 that "Lifting the embargo won't solve the problems of the Cuban people. Maintaining it, is no solution, either". Paya has asked specifically for the unconditional lifting of all trade sanctions on food and medicines and for the US to engage in a process with Cuba with the aim to end all trade sanctions. He also maintains a distance from political Cuban groups in the U.S. with a refusal to support their stated aim of implementing land reacquisition upon the return of exiles to Cuba:- "It is not a neoliberal programme. For this, we are under attack by the powerful groups in Miami. When people say what is going to happen in Cuba after Fidel, we say - hold on, there are 11 million people in Cuba, not only Fidel Castro."
Although his political activity is tolerated and in a few instances he has been allowed to travel abroad, Payá reports that both he and his family are subject to routine intimidation. Today there are approximately 300 political prisoners in Cuba, including members of the Christian Liberation Movement
Christian Liberation Movement
The Christian Liberation Movement is a Cuban dissident movement advocating political change in Cuba. The movement is led by Oswaldo Payá and was founded in 1988 by a group of secular Catholics belonging to the Parish of Cerro, in Havana...
and supporters of the Varela Project
Varela Project
The Varela Project is a project that was started in 1998 by Oswaldo Payá of the Christian Liberation Movement and named after Felix Varela, a Cuban religious leader...
:
- "I have been told that I am going to be killed before the regime is over but I am not going to run away."
Criticism
Oswaldo Payá has been accused by some exiles of sympathizing with the underlying ideology of the socialist system in Cuba, because of his support for many of the social measures that were put in place by the revolutionary government.His "Program for all Cubans" has also been criticized for excluding Cuba exiles from the first elections while allowing members of the Cuban Communist Party the right to vote. http://www.nationaldialoguecuba.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=117&Itemid=111&mos_change_template=JPTheme&lang=en#trans (See Transitory Provisions Relating to Chapter 2, Second)
Awards
- The Homo Homini AwardHomo Homini AwardThe Homo Homini Award is given annually by the Czech human rights organization People in Need to "an individual in recognition of a dedication to the promotion of human rights, democracy and non-violent solutions to political conflicts"...
by People in NeedPeople In Need (Czech Republic)People in Need is a Czech nonprofit, non-governmental organization that implements humanitarian relief and long term development projects in crisis regions all over the world, while working to defend human rights and democratic freedom....
, a Czech NGO, 1999 - The Sakharov PrizeSakharov PrizeThe Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, named after Soviet scientist and dissident Andrei Sakharov, was established in December 1988 by the European Parliament as a means to honour individuals or organisations who have dedicated their lives to the defence of human rights and freedom of thought...
for Freedom of Thought from the European ParliamentEuropean ParliamentThe European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
, 2002 - W. Averell Harriman Democracy Award from U.S. National Democratic Institute for International AffairsNational Democratic Institute for International AffairsThe National Democratic Institute for International Affairs is an organization created by the United States government by way of the National Endowment for Democracy to channel grants for furthering democracy in developing nations. It was founded in 1983, shortly after the U.S. Congress created...
, 2003 - Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Columbia University in New York, 2005
- One of the 15 Champions of World Democracy by the Europe-based magazine A Different ViewA Different ViewA Different View is the International Association for Political Science Students' monthly Online Magazine. Founded in 2005, ADV deals with a wide range of topics including political, social, cultural and/or economic affairs....
, 2008
External links
- News items about Oswaldo Paya
- Official website
- "Proyecto Varela" - Full text in Spanish.
- "Statements & Press Releases"
- Cuban Democratic Directorate (Directorio) - biography, summary of political activity
- Guardian - The Rocky Road to Freedom, Duncan CampbellDuncan Campbell (The Guardian)Duncan Campbell is a British journalist and author. He was a senior reporter/correspondent for The Guardian from 1987 until 2010. He was the Los Angeles and crime correspondent for the paper at one point.-Education:...
- August 4, 2006 - Washington Post - The Unstoppable Cuban Spring, by Oswaldo José Payá Sardiñas July 1, 2006
- The Economist interviews Payá December 14, 2005
- In These Times Magazine - Dissent from Within, Patrick Michael Rucker - April 14, 2003
- European Parliament Website - Acceptance speech at the Award Ceremony of the Sakharov Prize for 2002
- BBC Cuban dissident collects EU prize - December 17, 2002
- Sardinas vs Cuban Communism video clip 10min