U.S-REFUGEES: Camps For Haitians, Cubans Likened to Prisons

• by IPS Correspondents (washington)
• Friday, November 11, 1994
• Inter Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov 11 (IPS) - The U.S. camps for Cubans and Haitians at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba resemble a medium-security prison rather than a safe-haven for refugees, a human rights group complains.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch is protesting the Bill Clinton administration's refusal to allow it and other monitors access to the camps and it is calling for a review of current arrangements.

Human Rights Watch Thursday said the administration should also conduct a thorough inquiry into whether U.S. officials handled a medical emergency involving a Cuban man with negligence or incompetence.

The 30-year-old man, who is among some 30,000 other Cubans camping at the U.S. naval base, suffered a heart attack Tuesday and died before he could receive treatment at a hospital.

According to reports, U.S. officials denied medical attention offered by a Cuban doctor. Officials also reportedly insisted on waiting for an ambulance, which was delayed for nearly half an hour, even though cars were available to transport the man.

"This event highlights the need for a review of the present arrangements at the camps," says Human Rights Watch.

"It is crucial that the management set-up provide for adequate access to the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and private voluntary agencies with proven capabilities, not only in the delivery of services, but also in the administration of safe haven camps," the agency said.

The U.S. administration set up a temporary 'safe-haven' at Guantanamo Bay earlier this year when Haitians and then Cubans began flowing into the United States in rickety boats seeking refugee status.

Human Rights Watch says that while temporary safe haven is an appropriate response to large outflows of people, Guantanamo fails to qualify either as a safe haven or a temporary measure. It says the strict rules in place cause the camps to resemble a medium- security prison.

"Both Haitians and Cubans must be allowed individualised hearings, with appropriate procedural safeguards, to determine their refugee status without further delay," said Juan Mendez, Human Rights Watch's General Counsel.

The rights body complains that it has been requesting permission to visit the camps since July, but that the U.S. government has refused to let it conduct a fact-finding mission.

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