I am writing this quickly and
a little late. I should do this because of the strong emphasis
I have placed in the analysis of this matter.
Besides, the news is not disheartening. The wire services announced
that the two boxers who had defected in Rio de Janeiro had been
found and arrested by the authorities on a beach close to that
city. Remember that they had been given up for missing. They
were there without any documents.
They were not sent to prison. They remained in the same hotel
where they were staying, under the surveillance of the Federal
Police. The boxers told the police that they had made a mistake
and regretted it. They refused to see a German citizen who very
promptly took interest in them, following instructions from a
mafia company. We learned about this later.
The authorities asked us for their documents, and the Cuban consular
representatives, following our Ambassador’s instructions,
proceeded to complete all relevant arrangements.
The news stating that the boxers were in Turkey while immigration
matters were being looked after had obviously been released by
the mafia as a smoke screen. There was even a German Member of
Parliament who attempted to hit a home-run with a fake ball.
The company that had invested more than two million dollars in
this grotesque business was talking about the "human rights" of
the athletes' families. What will the United Nations say about
this unfair competition?
This is where sports and politics get together in the search
for concrete and principled solutions, over and above fondness
and bitterness.
Those citizens will not be submitted to any sort of arrest, much
less the kinds of methods being used by the United States Government
in Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo, which we have never used
in this country. They will be temporarily transferred to a guest
house and allowed family visits. The press will also be able
to contact them if they so wish.
They will be offered decent jobs for the benefit of sports, given
their knowledge and experience.
The Brazilian authorities should not be worried in the face of
the inevitable campaigns being launched by our adversaries. Cuba’s
behaviour will rise to the occasion. I, for one, shall have a
good sleep.
Fidel Castro Ruz
August 4, 2007
10:56 p.m. |
