December 23, 2010 Did prosecutors stumble on purpose by making belated requests in Posada case?<http://miamiherald.typepad.com/cuban_colada/2010/12/did-prosecutors-stumble-on-purpose-by-making-belated-requests-in-posada-case.html>
Their late bid for the inclusion of Cuban documents ensured their rejection, an interested lawyer claims The delivery by federal prosecutors to Judge Kathleen Cardone of thousands of pages of Cuban evidence a few weeks before the [image: (ptr)]<http://miamiherald.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b26169e20147e0f86493970b-pi>start of Luis Posada Carriles' trial on Jan. 10, puzzles Washington-based attorney *José Pertierra*. In a long article <http://www.cubadebate.cu/autores/jose-pertierra/2010/12/23/jueza-rechaza-prorroga-para-juicio-de-posada-carriles-el-caso-se-ventila-el-10-de-enero/>in the Cuban official website *Cubadebate*, Pertierra, who represents the Venezuelan government in its request for Posada's extradition to that country, wonders if the federal prosecutors didn't intentionally shoot themselves on the foot, anticipating that the late delivery of evidence would delay and might even derail the trial. A late request by the prosecution to travel to Havana to interview witnesses also seems dilatory to Pertierra. (For background, read our Dec. 22 blog items *"Judge nixes prosecutors' bid to go to Cuba*..." and *"Posada attorneys ask his trial be delayed*...") "Although the prosecution opposed the defense's request to postpone the start of the trial, its behavior [...] reveals the exact opposite," Pertierra alleges. "[The prosecutors] have inexplicably delayed submitting the documents to the defense and have waited until barely three weeks before the start of the hearing to tell the judge that they would need to travel to Havana to interview two important witnesses and take down their depositions. "Their puzzling delay in delivering to the defense more than 6,000 pages of documents has jeopardized the possibility of using them as evidence against Posada. Could that be on purpose?" Continue reading "Did prosecutors stumble on purpose by making belated requests in Posada case?" »<http://miamiherald.typepad.com/cuban_colada/2010/12/did-prosecutors-stumble-on-purpose-by-making-belated-requests-in-posada-case.html#more> Posted by Renato Perez at 4:21 PM in Security<http://miamiherald.typepad.com/cuban_colada/security/>, U.S.-Cuba relations<http://miamiherald.typepad.com/cuban_colada/washington_dc/>, Venezuela <http://miamiherald.typepad.com/cuban_colada/venezuela/> | Permalink<http://miamiherald.typepad.com/cuban_colada/2010/12/did-prosecutors-stumble-on-purpose-by-making-belated-requests-in-posada-case.html> | Comments (0)<http://miamiherald.typepad.com/cuban_colada/2010/12/did-prosecutors-stumble-on-purpose-by-making-belated-requests-in-posada-case.html#comments> | TrackBack (0)<http://miamiherald.typepad.com/cuban_colada/2010/12/did-prosecutors-stumble-on-purpose-by-making-belated-requests-in-posada-case.html#trackback> Cuba's Cuentapropistas still protected, state media says (morning roundup)<http://miamiherald.typepad.com/cuban_colada/2010/12/top-news-in-other-news-the-cuban-government-has-officially-denied-an-exit-visa-yusnaimy-jorge-soca-wife-of-dissident-d.html> [image: Market-havana]<http://miamiherald.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b26169e20147e0f703a8970b-pi> *Top News*: Cuban state media Wednesday tried to reassure<http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9K98BP80.htm>those who worry that economic reforms will undermine the Communist government's social protections or union affiliations, The Associated Press reports. The report was based on an article published in Granma<http://www.granma.cubaweb.cu/2010/12/22/nacional/artic03.html>that said Cuban "cuantapropistas," as the self-employed are referred to there, will continue to receive social protections. The article compared Cuban cuentapropistas<http://www.elnuevoherald.com/2010/12/22/857937/cuba-garantiza-prestaciones-a.html>to the millions of Latin American informal workers who work outside legal market regulations and consequently do not enjoy state social protections, such as social security or public health benefits. For an English writeup of the Granma article's contents see Renato Perez's post here<http://miamiherald.typepad.com/cuban_colada/2010/12/self-employed-never-fear-says-granma-entrepreneurs-have-a-good-thing-going.html> . *In Other News:* - The Cuban government has officially denied an exit visa Yusnaimy Jorge Soca<http://www.elnuevoherald.com/2010/12/23/858281/niegan-permiso-de-salida-a-esposa.html>, wife of dissident Darsi Ferrer, to receive medical treatment in the United States (link in Spanish). - Congress voted Wednesday to impose new limits<http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/23/us/politics/23gitmo.html?partner=rss&emc=rss>on transferring detainees from the U.S. military prison at Guantánamo, Cuba. - El Salvadoran citizen Francisco Chávez Abarca was convicted on terrorism charges<http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/12/22/1984882/cuba-convicts-salvadoran-on-terror.html>on Tuesday, for his role in a string of bombings at Cuban tourist sites and sentenced to 30 years in prison. - A Miami man and his daughter pleaded guilty Wednesday to illegally importing pigeon eggs<http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/12/23/1985899/guilty-plea-entered-in-cuban-pigeon.html>from Cuba. - Ukrainian Foreign Minister Konstantin Ivanovich Grishenko said Wednesday that there is potential to develop the two countries' partnership in the fields of health, industry and tourism (click here for English<http://miamiherald.typepad.com/cuban_colada/2010/12/ukrainian-foreign-minister-arrives-in-cuba.html>and here for Spanish<http://www.elnuevoherald.com/2010/12/23/858271/canciller-de-ucrania-ve-buen-potencial.html> ). - Havana will build a new cemetery and crematorium in 2011 to relieve overcrowding in current facilities. - The New Zealand Herald reports<http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10696227>that the country is "on the same page" as the United States regarding Cuba, according a cable released by WikiLeaks. *In Cuban State Media*: - A long feature article published in CubaDebate looks at the connection between the U.S. government and the local opposition<http://www.cubadebate.cu/noticias/2010/12/23/wikileaks-la-diplomacia-estadounidense-y-la-disidencia-cubana-audios/>, based partly on WikiLeaks cables (link in Spanish). - Las Razones de Cuba <http://razonesdecuba.cubadebate.cu/>, a channel in the state-run CubaDebate Web site, is publishing translations of WikiLeaks cables related to Cuba (link in Spanish). - Cuba's National Assembly expressed its solidarity with student protesters at the University of Puerto Rico<http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/hs026.snc6/165596_477567912615_339188887615_5927911_2583633_n.jpg>and called upon other national legislatures to do the same (link in Spanish). *In the Blogosphere*: - Fernando Ravsberg at BBC Mundo has an analysis<http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/mundo/cartas_desde_cuba/2010/12/de_embajadores_y_disidentes.html>of the relationship between Washington and the Cuban opposition based on new information made public by WikiLeaks (link in Spanish). - Capitol Hill Cubans look back at the highlights<http://www.capitolhillcubans.com/2010/12/look-back-at-111th-congress.html>and false predictions for U.S. Cuba policy over the course of the 111th Congress. - Tracey Eaton at Along the Malecón reminds readers<http://alongthemalecon.blogspot.com/2010/12/wikileaks-cuba-leaks-are-trickle.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+AlongTheMalecn+(Along+the+Malec%C3%B3n)&utm_content=Google+Reader>that the WikiLeaks cables released so far are just a trickle of the total. *What did we miss? Send us links to more stories in the comments. * *-- Roque Planas* Posted by Roque Planas at 11:24 AM in Cuban State Media<http://miamiherald.typepad.com/cuban_colada/cuban-state-media/>, Economy & Trade <http://miamiherald.typepad.com/cuban_colada/economy/> | Permalink<http://miamiherald.typepad.com/cuban_colada/2010/12/top-news-in-other-news-the-cuban-government-has-officially-denied-an-exit-visa-yusnaimy-jorge-soca-wife-of-dissident-d.html> | Comments (0)<http://miamiherald.typepad.com/cuban_colada/2010/12/top-news-in-other-news-the-cuban-government-has-officially-denied-an-exit-visa-yusnaimy-jorge-soca-wife-of-dissident-d.html#comments> | TrackBack (0)<http://miamiherald.typepad.com/cuban_colada/2010/12/top-news-in-other-news-the-cuban-government-has-officially-denied-an-exit-visa-yusnaimy-jorge-soca-wife-of-dissident-d.html#trackback> Spanish envoy to U.S.: Don't lean on Raúl<http://miamiherald.typepad.com/cuban_colada/2010/12/spanish-envoy-to-us-dont-lean-on-ra%C3%BAl.html> Ambassador, an ex-intelligence chief, saw changes in Cuba and cautioned against pressuring Castro [image: (fot7)]<http://miamiherald.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b26169e20147e0f6f001970b-pi>A "wikileaked" message from the U.S. State Department to several U.S. embassies worldwide tells of a meeting in Washington, Sept. 16, 2008, between then-Secretary *Condoleezza Rice *and Spanish Ambassador *Jorge Dezcallar de Mazarredo*, that turned to the topic of Cuba. "The Secretary stated she remains unconvinced of the sincerity of minor post-Fidel changes in Cuba," the cable says. "She emphasized the need to make real change, as opposed to cosmetic ones. For example, Cubans should have access to cell phones and the Internet. "The Ambassador countered that [the Spanish government] doesn't think that changes in Cuba since Raúl's ascent to power have been cosmetic. He denied that Raúl is another Fidel, but warned against being too heavy-handed and 'scaring him off, or he will be even more difficult.'" *Rice *should have heeded Dezcallar's advice. Still in Washington [image: (fot6)]<http://miamiherald.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b26169e20147e0f6f425970b-pi>representing the Spanish government, he is a career diplomat <http://www.washdiplomat.com/ambprof/Spain.html>who joined the Foreign Ministry in 1971. He has been posted to Poland, New York City, Uruguay, Morocco, Malta, the Vatican and other places, and was Foreign Policy Director for Africa and the Middle East (1985-93). In 2001, he was appointed director of Spain's intelligence agency, the Supreme Defense Information Center (CESID), the precursor of the current National Intelligence Center (CNI), where he served until 2004. Presumably, he was familiar with the situation in Cuba and the nature of its leaders. Continue reading "Spanish envoy to U.S.: Don't lean on Raúl" »<http://miamiherald.typepad.com/cuban_colada/2010/12/spanish-envoy-to-us-dont-lean-on-ra%C3%BAl.html#more> Posted by Renato Perez at 11:11 AM in The World<http://miamiherald.typepad.com/cuban_colada/the_world/>, U.S.-Cuba relations<http://miamiherald.typepad.com/cuban_colada/washington_dc/> | Permalink<http://miamiherald.typepad.com/cuban_colada/2010/12/spanish-envoy-to-us-dont-lean-on-ra%C3%BAl.html> | Comments (0)<http://miamiherald.typepad.com/cuban_colada/2010/12/spanish-envoy-to-us-dont-lean-on-ra%C3%BAl.html#comments> | TrackBack (0)<http://miamiherald.typepad.com/cuban_colada/2010/12/spanish-envoy-to-us-dont-lean-on-ra%C3%BAl.html#trackback> Read more: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/cuban_colada/#ixzz195DOTicn [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:[email protected]?subject=laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/laamn/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/laamn/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
