Cuba's Jails Suck, But It's America's Fault

A special U.N. rights envoy expressed alarm on Tuesday at allegations of ill treatment in Cuban jails, but said that a U.S. economic embargo was hampering attempts to improve Cuba's respect for political rights.

"The extreme tension between Cuba and the United States has created a climate which is far from conducive to the development of freedom of expression and freedom of assembly," French magistrate Christine Chanet said.

In a new report to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Chanet said her main concern was still the detention of dozens of dissidents whose arrest while working as journalists, writers and members of associations in March and April 2003 caused an international uproar.

Let's get this straight. Castro jails political prisoners by the score and that is the fault of the US embargo? What planet are these people from. The US has an embargo in place precisely because Castro is a totalitarian dictator who should not receive one penny from anyone.

She said she was "alarmed at the allegations of ill-treatment in detention" submitted by prisoners' families.

"Food and hygiene are substandard and medical care either unavailable or inappropriate," said Chanet, whose post was created in 2002.

No doubt this is all part of Cuba's high level of vaunted medical care we hear so much about.

The embargo has been ongoing for 40 years, but this latest crackdown on dissidents is a recent event. Castro has his own timetables.

Babalau Blog also noticed the leaps of logic.