Sebastian Arcos Bergnes
Encyclopedia
Sebastian Arcos Bergnes (1931 - December 22, 1997, New York City
) was a Cuban
human rights
activist. A prominent Cuban dissident, he was openly adverserial to the dictatorships of Fidel Castro
and Fulgencio Batista
.
on the northern coast of the central province of Las Villas, Sebastian was attending the University of Havana at the time of General Batista's military coup
, which toppled the legitimate government in March 1952. When his brother Gustavo was released from prison in 1955 after having participated in the 1953 attack against Moncada Army Barracks in Santiago de Cuba
, Sebastian joined Castro's 26th of July Movement
(M-26-7), helped organize the movement in northern Las Villas and became its leader in that region. In 1956 Sebastian was arrested for his role as M-26-7 leader and sentenced to three years in the Presidio Modelo on the Isle of Pines. He was released after Castro's revolutionary takeover in 1959, joined the Navy with the rank of captain and was later appointed Vice-Minister of Finance. After his brother Gustavo's arrest in 1966, Sebastian was expelled from his Navy position (the Ministry of Finance had been abolished by Guevara some years before), went back to his profession as an orthodontist.
After years of quietly looking for ways to flee Cuba, Sebastian fell into a trap prepared by the Cuban Secret Police
and was arrested on December 31, 1981, while attempting to leave the island, along with his former wife, their son and daughter, and his brother Gustavo. After a mock trial
, Sebastian was sentenced to 6 years in prison. While in Havana’s Combinado del Este prison, Sebastian met some of the founders of the Cuban Committee for Human Rights
(CCPDH). He decided to join the group and began to smuggle out reports of human rights violations from inside the prison. Once released, Sebastian was appointed vice-President of the CCPDH and was responsible for expanding the Committee from a small Havana-based group into a nationwide organization. He coordinated the testimony given by the CCPDH before a special delegation from the UN
Human Rights Commission that visited Cuba in 1988, which produced a 400 page report critical of the Cuban regime's human rights record. In the next few years, the CCPDH became the largest and most respected independent human rights organization in Cuba, spawning an explosion of opposition groups that resulted in what is now known as "the Cuban Human Rights Movement."
In March 1990, in reaction to the UN Commission of Human Rights having passed a resolution criticizing Cuba's human rights record, the regime launched the worst wave of “acts of repudiation” since the 1980 Mariel Boatlift
, starting with Sebastian's home, which suffered two attacks in one week. In the second attack, the Arcos home was kept under constant siege for almost two days by an angry government-led mob. In the summer of 1990, the CCPDH once again made history by calling on the Cuban regime to engage in a "civic dialogue" with opponents inside and outside the island. Ironically, as a result CCPDH members were accused of being "US agents" by the Cuban regime and "Castro agents" by the exiled community.http://www.cidh.org/annualrep/90.91eng/chap.4.htmhttp://www.hrw.org/reports/1993/WR93/Amw-03.htm
In 1992 Sebastian was again arrested by the Secret Police.http://www.scienceblog.com/community/older/archives/L/1996/A/un960754.html Charged with "enemy propaganda" and "inciting to rebellion," he was sentenced to four years and eight months. He was transferred to Ariza Prison in Cienfuegos Province
, more than 130 miles from Havana, where he was imprisoned alongside dangerous criminals and systematically denied medical attention.http://193.194.138.190/Huridocda/Huridoca.nsf/TestFrame/c914003814fde070802567120056d285?Opendocument In 1993 the regime offered Sebastian a deal: he would be released immediately if he only agreed to leave the island for good.http://asiapacific.amnesty.org/library/Index/ESLAMR250111993?open&of=ESL-2M5 Sebastian rejected the deal, becoming the first political prisoner ever to choose prison in Cuba over freedom in exile. After a vigorous international campaign that included his designation as an Amnesty International
Prisoner of Conscience
, he was finally released in 1995. A few weeks after his release, Sebastian was diagnosed with a malignant tumor
in the rectum which forced him to travel to Miami for treatment. In 1996 he testified before the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva, Switzerland
, and in 1997 was awarded the first Human Rights Award given by the Spanish-Cuban Foundation (Fundación Hispano-Cubana). Sebastian Arcos died in the family home in Miami on December 22, 1997.http://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/cuba/Cuba996-06.htm His case is a textbook example to showcase the denial of medical attention as a form of torture used by the Castro regime against Cuban political prisoner
s.http://www.fiu.edu/~fcf/ref.index.instan.medneg.html
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
) was a Cuban
Cuban
Cuban may refer to:* Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean* Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent. For more information about the Cuban people, see Demographics of Cuba and Culture of Cuba...
human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
activist. A prominent Cuban dissident, he was openly adverserial to the dictatorships 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 Fulgencio Batista
Fulgencio Batista
Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar was the United States-aligned Cuban President, dictator and military leader who served as the leader of Cuba from 1933 to 1944 and from 1952 to 1959, before being overthrown as a result of the Cuban Revolution....
.
Life and career
The seventh of nine children born to Antonio Arcos and Rosina Bergnes in Caibarién, a maritime port and fishing townFishing town
Fishing Town or Fishing City , is one of the three great ancient battlefields of China. It is famous for its resistance to the Mongol armies in the latter half of the Song Dynasty...
on the northern coast of the central province of Las Villas, Sebastian was attending the University of Havana at the time of General Batista's military coup
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
, which toppled the legitimate government in March 1952. When his brother Gustavo was released from prison in 1955 after having participated in the 1953 attack against Moncada Army Barracks in Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....
, Sebastian joined Castro's 26th of July Movement
26th of July Movement
The 26th of July Movement was the revolutionary organization planned and led by Fidel Castro that in 1959 overthrew the Fulgencio Batista government in Cuba...
(M-26-7), helped organize the movement in northern Las Villas and became its leader in that region. In 1956 Sebastian was arrested for his role as M-26-7 leader and sentenced to three years in the Presidio Modelo on the Isle of Pines. He was released after Castro's revolutionary takeover in 1959, joined the Navy with the rank of captain and was later appointed Vice-Minister of Finance. After his brother Gustavo's arrest in 1966, Sebastian was expelled from his Navy position (the Ministry of Finance had been abolished by Guevara some years before), went back to his profession as an orthodontist.
After years of quietly looking for ways to flee Cuba, Sebastian fell into a trap prepared by the Cuban Secret Police
Secret police
Secret police are a police agency which operates in secrecy and beyond the law to protect the political power of an individual dictator or an authoritarian political regime....
and was arrested on December 31, 1981, while attempting to leave the island, along with his former wife, their son and daughter, and his brother Gustavo. After a mock trial
Mock trial
A Mock Trial is an act or imitation trial. It is similar to a moot court, but mock trials simulate lower-court trials, while moot court simulates appellate court hearings. Attorneys preparing for a real trial might use a mock trial consisting of volunteers as role players to test theories or...
, Sebastian was sentenced to 6 years in prison. While in Havana’s Combinado del Este prison, Sebastian met some of the founders of the Cuban Committee for Human Rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
(CCPDH). He decided to join the group and began to smuggle out reports of human rights violations from inside the prison. Once released, Sebastian was appointed vice-President of the CCPDH and was responsible for expanding the Committee from a small Havana-based group into a nationwide organization. He coordinated the testimony given by the CCPDH before a special delegation from the UN
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Human Rights Commission that visited Cuba in 1988, which produced a 400 page report critical of the Cuban regime's human rights record. In the next few years, the CCPDH became the largest and most respected independent human rights organization in Cuba, spawning an explosion of opposition groups that resulted in what is now known as "the Cuban Human Rights Movement."
In March 1990, in reaction to the UN Commission of Human Rights having passed a resolution criticizing Cuba's human rights record, the regime launched the worst wave of “acts of repudiation” since the 1980 Mariel Boatlift
Mariel boatlift
The Mariel boatlift was a mass emigration of Cubans who departed from Cuba's Mariel Harbor for the United States between April 15 and October 31, 1980....
, starting with Sebastian's home, which suffered two attacks in one week. In the second attack, the Arcos home was kept under constant siege for almost two days by an angry government-led mob. In the summer of 1990, the CCPDH once again made history by calling on the Cuban regime to engage in a "civic dialogue" with opponents inside and outside the island. Ironically, as a result CCPDH members were accused of being "US agents" by the Cuban regime and "Castro agents" by the exiled community.http://www.cidh.org/annualrep/90.91eng/chap.4.htmhttp://www.hrw.org/reports/1993/WR93/Amw-03.htm
In 1992 Sebastian was again arrested by the Secret Police.http://www.scienceblog.com/community/older/archives/L/1996/A/un960754.html Charged with "enemy propaganda" and "inciting to rebellion," he was sentenced to four years and eight months. He was transferred to Ariza Prison in Cienfuegos Province
Cienfuegos Province
Cienfuegos is one of the provinces of Cuba. The capital city of the province is also called Cienfuegos and was founded by French settlers in 1819....
, more than 130 miles from Havana, where he was imprisoned alongside dangerous criminals and systematically denied medical attention.http://193.194.138.190/Huridocda/Huridoca.nsf/TestFrame/c914003814fde070802567120056d285?Opendocument In 1993 the regime offered Sebastian a deal: he would be released immediately if he only agreed to leave the island for good.http://asiapacific.amnesty.org/library/Index/ESLAMR250111993?open&of=ESL-2M5 Sebastian rejected the deal, becoming the first political prisoner ever to choose prison in Cuba over freedom in exile. After a vigorous international campaign that included his designation as an Amnesty International
Amnesty 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...
Prisoner of Conscience
Prisoner of conscience
Prisoner of conscience is a term defined in Peter Benenson's 1961 article "The Forgotten Prisoners" often used by the human rights group Amnesty International. It can refer to anyone imprisoned because of their race, religion, or political views...
, he was finally released in 1995. A few weeks after his release, Sebastian was diagnosed with a malignant tumor
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in the rectum which forced him to travel to Miami for treatment. In 1996 he testified before the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva, Switzerland
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, and in 1997 was awarded the first Human Rights Award given by the Spanish-Cuban Foundation (Fundación Hispano-Cubana). Sebastian Arcos died in the family home in Miami on December 22, 1997.http://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/cuba/Cuba996-06.htm His case is a textbook example to showcase the denial of medical attention as a form of torture used by the Castro regime against Cuban political prisoner
Political prisoner
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
s.http://www.fiu.edu/~fcf/ref.index.instan.medneg.html