Marta Beatriz Roque
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Marta Beatriz Roque Cabello (Born May 16, 1945) is a prominent Cuban political dissident. She is an economist by training, and the founder as well as director of the Cuban Institute of Independent Economists
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[edit] Politics Activities
Ms. Roque has been imprisoned on numerous occasions for her forceful opposition to the Cuban government's policies.
[edit] The Homeland Belongs to All
In 1997, she published a paper titled "The Homeland Belongs to All," [1] which discussed Cuba's human rights situation and called for political and economic reforms. She was imprisoned from July 1997-May 2000 after being sentenced with sedition for having written this document.
[edit] 2003 Government Crackdown
She was rearessted in March 2003 along with 74 other dissidents in what some have called the "Black Spring" crackdown. On April 3, 2003, Ms. Roque was brought to trial and convicted. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison for supposedly engaging in “activities aimed at subverting the internal order of the Cuban State, provoking its destabilization and the loss of its independence,” and receiving “substantial monetary funds from the U.S. Government.” The proceedings have been the subject of much criticism, as numerous NGOs have claimed that they failed to meet the international fair trial standards. After her trial, Amnesty International adopted her as a prisoner of conscience during both of her incarcerations.
On July 22, 2004, Ms. Roque was unexpectedly released from prison due to her declining health; however, she is subject to rearrest, as medical parole is given only for the duration of an illness.
[edit] Assembly to Promote Civil Society in Cuba
In 2005, Ms. Roque founded the Assembly to Promote Civil Society in Cuba (Asamblea para Promover la Sociedad Civil en Cuba), a coalition of some 365 non-governmental organizations. She is the organization's current director.
[edit] Amnesty International
According to Amnesty International, since her release from prison, Ms. Roque has been the subject of considerable harassments by Cuban government supporters and state security agents.
[edit] Medical Conditions
Martha Beatriz is suffering from frequent nausea attacks and the left part of her body has become numb.
[edit] Prizes
She is a recipient of the 2002 Heinz R. Pagels Human Rights of Scientists Award of the New York Academy of Sciences.
