UPDATE. Cuban Dissidents' Homes Under Siege After Issuing Ultimatum

Hablemos Press has reported that Marta Beatriz Roque's and Vladimiro Roca's homes are surrounded by Castro's forces since having issued an ultimatum on October 10. They further reported that those who approach their houses are being threatened with arrest.

UPDATE OCTOBER 13, 10:45 P.M.

Apparently 11 people, including Marta Beatriz Roque, are under siege at Vladimiro Roca's home. It has again been reported that those who approach the home are being interrogated and even arrested if it's determined that that's where they were going. 

Path to Vladimiro Roca's home, reportedly under siege with 11 dissidents inside

 

It would be great if a picture of the scene could be taken from both inside and outside Mr. Roca's house. The house is just not visible in the picture above.

Georgina Noa Montes, a dissident who attends 'courses' at Mr. Roca's residence claims that they are not allowed to receive food and that rocks are being thrown at them. It is unclear if she is inside the house and reported this by phone.

Georgina Noa Montes

Her allegations were reported Julio Beltrán Iglesias an independent journalist in Havana associated with Agencia Libre Asociadas (ALAS).

Julio Beltrán Iglesias

According to Pinceladas de Cuba, Marta Beatriz Roque spoke from the house under siege by phone and also reported rocks being thrown, people arrested and some beaten up. She reportedly declared by phone:

“Those who have tried to approach the place to express their support have been arrested and we have witnessed that some have been beaten, and nothing is known of their whereabouts since."

Marta Beatriz Roque

Vladimiro Roca

RELATED:

Dissident Issues Castro's Cops an Ultimatum

Obedient Free Press in Cuba

Hablemos Press and CIHPress appear to be the first exceptions to an 'obedient press'. Add Julio Beltrán Iglesias, Agencia Libre Asociadas (ALAS), Pinceladas de Cuba and Georgina Noa Montes, FLAMUR'S delegate in Havana to the exceptions. Let's see what they continue to report.

UPDATE 11:43 P.M.

What is apparently happening to these dissidents in Havana is also an appalling spectacle of the dehumanized world that surrounds the Cuban people. Where are the foreign correspondents? Why haven't they been reporting on this? It started on October 9, 4 days ago!

Where are the Canadian, Latin American and European tourists? What are they doing as this occurs right in their faces? Where are the U.S. and Cuban bishops clamoring for an end to the embargo that will bring even more idiot tourists and billions for the tyranny?

Then there are those who even cheer the tyrant, their hero.

What a spectacle of dehumanization.

All who claim the right to travel to Cuba while remaining silent about this should read anthropologist Colin Turnbull's "The Mountain People". Those described therein are a terrifying reminder of you. He describes what's happening to you.

UPDATE OCTOBER 14, 12:12 A.M.

Even though he's presumably under siege by the 'revolutionary' regime Mr. Roca nevertheless appeals to and even calls for the bogus 1976 constitution to be upheld. What an insult to the millions of us Cubans who were, in effect, forced into exile between 1960 and 1976, years in which Fidel Castro ruled by decree while constructing his totalitarian system! How could a coerced and exiled population be deemed to have approved such a constitution? How could it ever have been legitimate, Mr. Roca? 20% were already in exile Mr. Roca!

Both Fidel and Raul Castro's parents were born in Spain while both of mine, 3 of 4 grandparents and 6 of my great grandparents (who knows how many other ancestors) were born in Cuba 1 and 2 centuries ago. Yet these 2 gangsters, hardly Cuban, are the ones who sit on top, depriving real Cubans of their nation and their liberty. How could this be anything other than cultural genocide? I pray for justice. Let there be justice. Let there be justice.

How is it then that you, Mr. Roca, apparently believe in said constitution? How could it be just fine with you what they did prior to 1976? Is it just fine with you that my grandparents (and thousands of others) died in exile, or that my family (and hundreds of thousands of others) have lived anywhere from half to almost all of their lives in exile?

If it is not, then how dare you ask anyone to respect any laws, let alone a constitution, pushed through by a criminal such as the one you once had allegiance to at the time?

That's what makes you and Mrs. Roque very questionable in my eyes. Just like Yoani Sanchez. You all are dissidents and yet seem to consider this tyranny a legitimate government needing some reforms. You thus implicitly approve of the millions that have been silenced and forced into exile. Had they not done that their bogus 1976 constitution and its later editions would not exist, let alone be legitimate and worthy of respect as you request.

Straighten out your positions if you expect the trust of rational Cuban victims. As far as I'm concerned, right now, I'm not sure which side any of you are on, siege and all.

UPDATE - OCTOBER 15 1:30 A.M.

No news regarding Vladimiro Roca, Marta Beatriz Roque and the 9 others reportedly under siege in Mr. Roca's home since last Friday. They are not even allowed food. Obviously being under siege in Cuba is nothing extraordinary. To my knowledge no one has checked on the prisoners again. It's normal, not news. Is that the reason nobody checks regularly and reports?

Why have we no pictures of the house under siege been? Don't they have cell phones with cameras inside the house? Aren't the phones supposedly working?

UPDATE -- OCTOBER 15 2009 4:00 P.M

Julio Beltrán Iglesias reported that 'a school of high school students' have been stationed in front of Mr. Roca's home where 13, not 11, are under siege.

He further reports that Castro's forces are telling the students that those under siege are Miami financed terrorists, and are inciting them to shout at them, while preventing them from reading the posters that the besieged have on display. The dissidents stood on the porch and watched the students, writes Mr. Beltràn, quoting Georgina Noa Montes, one of those apparently under siege but accessible by telephone. Mr. Beltrán reported how he could hear the students over the telephone screaming at the besieged, while talking to Ms. Montes on Wednesday October 14.

UPDATE OCTOBER 15 11;22 P.M.

What does the United Nations Council on Human Rights have to say about all of this? What about Miguel Alfonso Martinez, the Cuban, appointed by Castro and elected by the U.N. Human Rights Council to be President of its Advisory Committee? What about Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and Uruguay and all those others who voted to elect said Castro appointee.

Is this what they had in mind?

UPDATE OCTOBER 15 11;41 P.M.

Hmmm. I just found a new report on the 'siege' published anonymously by Red Cubana Comunicadores Comunitarios

There's a picture of Mr. Roca and Ms. Roque facing each other somewhere but no evidence of anyone surrounding them. Here's the picture:

Vladimiro Roca and Marta Beatriz Roque 'under siege' somewhere

They further report that Mr. Roca left the premises to get food and was threatened to death (more precisely, to be 'stabbed'). However, he was able to leave. 

The anonymous 'communicators' explain that the 'independent' journalists (like them and those under siege I suppose) are trying to help Cubans who are neither or for or against the tyranny express their complaints. Neither for or against the tyranny? Express their complaints to the tyranny?

Right. I mean, left.

So, are these independent journalists supporters of Castro's Constitution, like Mr. Roca, or against it? That shouldn't be too hard to guess.

UPDATED OCTOBER 16, 2009 2:36 P.M.

On further thought I realize that 'neither for or against the tyranny' likely means fear. The independent journalists perhaps serve the role of helping the population overcome its fear of opening up and addressing the tyranny. Perhaps they act, in effect, as Castro's psychotherapeutic force. Once the fearful express their grievances, the tyranny determines which adjustments to make (i.e. monitored cell phones, etc.) and the one party system is further strengthened. The subjected people and their master having become more reliably bonded, risk of a revolutionary rupture is effectively diminished. Perhaps that's what these dissidents are: the dictatorships' psychotherapists. Who knows?

Otherwise their (Mr. Roca's) suppport of Castro's 1976 constitution while proclaiming to be dissidents is incomprehensible. The same goes with Marta Beatriz Roque's statement that the Castro regime 'is no longer subversive".

As the regime's leader Fidel Castro never was a subversive. Indeed, he became the lead counter revolutionary on January 3, 1959 when he started appointing presidents, while ruling by decree, as if he had either of those rights.

Apparently, Mr. Roca and Mrs. Roque believe Castro did, which should make everyone wonder what they mean by 'democracy'.

UPDATE OCTOBER 18, 2009 12:11 A.M.

Bloggers associated with Mr. Roca have initiated a solidarity campaign on the Internet. One even asks how the circle of 'unsolidarity' can be broken. As far as I'm concerned, that's easy: Mr. Roca and Mrs. Roque and all of their followers should condemn the fake constitutions and the whole 50 years of tyranny, and not just from the point in which it soured for them!

Moving in that direction, one of his followers posted this video on Che Guevara perhaps taken from here.

Great but why don't they just condemn Castro's illegitimate constitutions?