Raúl Rivero
Encyclopedia
Raúl Rivero Castañeda is a Cuba
n 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 Revolution. From 1973-1976 he was the chief correspondent of the official Cuban press in Moscow
. He also served as chairman of the pro-regime National Union of Writers and Artists. He was then known as "the Poet of the Revolution", and associated with the major cultural figures of communist Cuba.
In 1989, he left the National Union of Writers and Artists, and on 2 June 1991, he signed the so-called "letter of the 10 intellectuals", a petition asking for the liberation of political prisoners and holding of democratic elections. Since then, Rivero has been an outcast in Cuban society. In 1995, he founded Cuba Press, and became active in the movement of independent journalism, publishing his works in newspapers in the US and other countries.
In 1999 Rivero was awarded the prestigious Maria Moors Cabot prize
for International Journalism from Columbia University
.
In 2003, as a part of the "Black Spring
" crackdown on dissidents, Rivero was charged with "acting against Cuban independence and attempting to divide Cuban territorial unity", as well as with writing "against the government", organizing "subversive meetings" at his home, and collaborating with US diplomat James Cason
. Rivero was convicted and sentenced to twenty years imprisonment. He spent his first 11 months in a tiny one-man cell with no windows or any contact to the outside world. The arrest of Rivero was later defended by Cuban writer and culture minister Abel Prieto
who argued that Rivero "was not arrested for his views, but for receiving US funding for his collaboration with a country that has besieged our island." http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1227/p06s01-woam.html Rivero has asserted, in prison interrogations as well as in public, that all funds received consisted of fees for his articles, paid by the publishing media, not by governments or political organizations.
In November 2004 he was released following international pressure on Cuba and subsequently relocated to Spain
, and was awarded the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize
.
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...
n poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, and dissident
Dissident
A dissident, broadly defined, is a person who actively challenges an established doctrine, policy, or institution. When dissidents unite for a common cause they often effect a dissident movement....
. Rivero was born in 1945 in Morón
Morón, Cuba
Morón is one of ten municipalities in province Ciego de Ávila in central Cuba. It is the second in importance and the oldest. Morón is the closest city to the tourist resorts on Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo.- Geography :...
, Camagüey
Camagüey
Camagüey is a city and municipality in central Cuba and is the nation's third largest city. It is the capital of the Camagüey Province.After almost continuous attacks from pirates the original city was moved inland in 1528.The new city was built with a confusing lay-out of winding alleys that made...
, in central Cuba.
In his youth, he was an ardent follower of Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
and the Cuban Revolution
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
. He was among the first generation of journalists to graduate after the triumph of the Revolution. From 1973-1976 he was the chief correspondent of the official Cuban press in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. He also served as chairman of the pro-regime National Union of Writers and Artists. He was then known as "the Poet of the Revolution", and associated with the major cultural figures of communist Cuba.
In 1989, he left the National Union of Writers and Artists, and on 2 June 1991, he signed the so-called "letter of the 10 intellectuals", a petition asking for the liberation of political prisoners and holding of democratic elections. Since then, Rivero has been an outcast in Cuban society. In 1995, he founded Cuba Press, and became active in the movement of independent journalism, publishing his works in newspapers in the US and other countries.
In 1999 Rivero was awarded the prestigious Maria Moors Cabot prize
Maria Moors Cabot prize
The Maria Moors Cabot Prizes are the oldest international awards in the field of journalism. They pick what the Trustees of Columbia University see as journalistic contributions to inter-American understanding.-Award:...
for International Journalism from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
.
In 2003, as a part of the "Black Spring
Black Spring (Cuba)
Black Spring refers to the 2003 crackdown on Cuban dissidents. The government imprisoned 75 dissidents, that included 29 journalists, as well as librarians, human rights activists, and democracy activists, on the basis that they were acting as agents of the United States by accepting aid from...
" crackdown on dissidents, Rivero was charged with "acting against Cuban independence and attempting to divide Cuban territorial unity", as well as with writing "against the government", organizing "subversive meetings" at his home, and collaborating with US diplomat James Cason
James Cason
James Cason is a retired U.S. Foreign Service officer, most recently serving as Ambassador to Paraguay, a post he held from 2006 to 2008. Prior to that post, he was the Principal Officer of the US Interests Section in Havana...
. Rivero was convicted and sentenced to twenty years imprisonment. He spent his first 11 months in a tiny one-man cell with no windows or any contact to the outside world. The arrest of Rivero was later defended by Cuban writer and culture minister Abel Prieto
Abel Prieto
Abel Prieto Jiménez is a Cuban politician and the current Minister of culture of the country. He is also a published author of fiction.-External links:*...
who argued that Rivero "was not arrested for his views, but for receiving US funding for his collaboration with a country that has besieged our island." http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1227/p06s01-woam.html Rivero has asserted, in prison interrogations as well as in public, that all funds received consisted of fees for his articles, paid by the publishing media, not by governments or political organizations.
In November 2004 he was released following international pressure on Cuba and subsequently relocated to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and was awarded the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize
UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize
The UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, created in 1997, honours a person, organization or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to the defence and/or promotion of press freedom anywhere in the world, especially when this has been achieved in the face of danger.The...
.
See also
- Human rights in CubaHuman rights in CubaHuman 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....
- Cuban dissident movement
- Varela ProjectVarela ProjectThe 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...
External links
- Headline articles
- Jailed Cuban journalist Raúl Rivero wins UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize
- Information on Rivero's release
- Biography at Words Without Borders.
- Slate article - Article on The Motorcycle DiariesThe Motorcycle DiariesThe Motorcycle Diaries is a memoir that traces the early travels of Marxist revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara, then a 23-year-old medical student, and his friend Alberto Granado, a 29-year-old biochemist...
which also pertains to Raúl.