Cuban political prisoner and independent journalist Joel Lázaro Carbonell began a hunger and thirst strike this Sunday, May 12, in front of the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, United States. He is demanding that the international body condemn the human rights violations by the Havana regime.
In a message sent to CiberCuba, Carbonell stated that he decided to start this hunger strike following remarks made by the UN Secretary-General of Tourism, Zurab Pololikashvili, who labeled activists from the Cuban civil society and disillusioned tourists who advise against traveling to Cuba as "stupid."
Carbonell's demands include a call for Mr. Pololikashvili to publicly retract his statements about the Cuban civil society. Additionally, he is urging the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to speak out and no longer remain silent about political prisoners and repression in Cuba.
Lastly, he demands that the UN itself address the repeated human rights violations against activists and defenders on the island of Cuba. Carbonell, who identifies himself as "a Cuban human rights defender, independent journalist, and former political prisoner committed to freedom and democracy in Cuba," explained the reasons for his action on his YouTube channel.
During a meeting held by the UN Secretary-General of Tourism with members of the Cuban government and UN tourism executives, regional ministers from the sector, and businessmen from Latin America and the Caribbean, the official made his controversial statements.
"If today or yesterday, some (excuse the word) idiot says that you shouldn't go to Cuba, then that's what we are here for: to tell everyone that they must come. That's right. Cuba is one of the safest countries I've visited," said Pololikashvili at the halls of the Palace of the Revolution.