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Is Cuba abusing its overseas workers? A Tampa dissident takes Cuba to court
Tampa Bay Times ^ | 7/9/18 | Paul Guzzo

Posted on 07/09/2018 8:28:05 AM PDT by Brilliant

Raul Risco was once loyal to Cuba’s socialist cause...

Then 18 years ago, disillusioned with socialism...Risco became a vocal dissident... This ...landed him in a Cuban prison 300 times, for a total of five years...

Risco sought asylum and moved with his family to Tampa 11 months ago...

Risco... has filed a lawsuit in Havana demanding changes... His ultimate goal is to bring the case before the United Nations and its International Court of Justice.

"It is important for people to hear what is going on," said Risco...

The Cuban government sends about 65,000 of its citizens to work in more than 60 countries... Those professionals include doctors, teachers, athletic trainers, construction workers and musicians.

But Risco said those workers are poorly paid and poorly treated by their government...

Cuba charges those client nations thousands of dollars a month per employee, who typically spend two to three years overseas...

But under Cuba’s socialist system... these professionals receive at most 20 to 25 percent of what clients are paying for their services. The rest... goes to the Cuban government.

These overseas professionals drive Cuba’s economy...they bring in more than $10 billion a year.

But while the workers willingly enter into the contracts...if they... quit and go into exile, they can face severe sanctions from the Cuban government. They could be banned from returning to Cuba for up to eight years, and their families may not be allowed to join them overseas for at least five years.

And what these workers earn is placed in Cuban bank accounts that are accessible only when the professionals return home, Risco said. If they do not return to Cuba, he said, the government keeps their earnings.

"This is a form of punishment to prevent professionals from migrating," Risco said. "It is forced labor..."

(Excerpt) Read more at tampabay.com ...


TOPICS: Cuba; Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: castro; communism; socialism
Basically it's slavery. Probably the way to stop it though is to put pressure on the host nations.
1 posted on 07/09/2018 8:28:05 AM PDT by Brilliant
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To: Brilliant

>>His ultimate goal is to bring the case before the United Nations and its International Court of Justice.<<

I guess he wants the laughter to be official and in writing.


2 posted on 07/09/2018 8:29:34 AM PDT by freedumb2003 ("please pass the winnamins" (/Principled on 6/27/2018))
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To: freedumb2003

A colossal waste of time, I’m thinking...


3 posted on 07/09/2018 8:33:33 AM PDT by Eric in the Ozarks (Baseball players, gangsters and musicians are remembered. But journalists are forgotten.)
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To: Brilliant
"Risco... has filed a lawsuit in Havana demanding changes... His ultimate goal is to bring the case before the United Nations and its International Court of Justice."

The United Nations? The same United Nations whose Human Rights Council is chaired by members of some of the most notoriously oppressive and brutal regimes on earth? That United Nations?

If Risco seriously thinks that the United Nations will suddenly become good at protecting brutalized, oppressed, and vulnerable populations, he has not been paying attention.

4 posted on 07/09/2018 8:37:45 AM PDT by 60Gunner (The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men. - Plato)
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To: 60Gunner

Never figured out why we did not invade this country after the fall of Russia...


5 posted on 07/09/2018 8:42:56 AM PDT by Hojczyk
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To: Brilliant

“Basically it’s slavery. Probably the (best) way to stop it though is to put pressure on the host nations.”

Absolutely. Impose the same trade embargo on the slave-abusing states that we impose on Cuba.


6 posted on 07/09/2018 8:48:51 AM PDT by MeganC (There is nothing feminine about feminism.)
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To: Hojczyk

“Never figured out why we did not invade this country after the fall of Russia...”

Because the Clinton/Bush/Obama regime likes socialists.


7 posted on 07/09/2018 8:49:39 AM PDT by MeganC (There is nothing feminine about feminism.)
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To: MeganC

Slavery? One of our neighbors? Where is the Black Caucus on this? Trump has them over a barrel if he wants to take advantage. Socialism and slavery DO mix. Thats exactly what it is. Let’s see: first Korea, next Iran, then Cuba and Venezuela. In which order?


8 posted on 07/09/2018 8:57:47 AM PDT by DIRTYSECRET (urope. Why do they put up with this.)
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To: Brilliant

“His ultimate goal is to bring the case before the United Nations”

At which point many of the member nation ambassadors will say: ‘Hey, what a great program! Do we have any professionals left back home? We need to get in on this gravy train.’


9 posted on 07/09/2018 9:46:54 AM PDT by siunevada (If we learn nothing from history, what's the point of having one? - Peggy Hill)
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To: Brilliant

As I have continually said about Cuba, from which I came.

On January 1, 1959, Fidel Castro and his brother Raul, under the pretext and cover of ‘marxist ideology’ in reality set out to establish a National State Mafia in Cuba, with Fidel as the Godfather and Raul controlling the ‘made men’ (women have no ruling role in Cuba, and never have).

This article bares the factual truth of this system.

To this day, nothing has changed.


10 posted on 07/09/2018 11:06:17 AM PDT by LibFreeUSA
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To: LibFreeUSA

Communism has been the world’s biggest con job going back to the Soviet Union.

The Promise: Give land to the peasants.
The Reality: Collective Farms.


11 posted on 07/09/2018 11:08:14 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: LibFreeUSA

Do you think this move to renew relations will shake something loose?

My thought is that it’s worth a try. Once freedom gains a toehold I think it’s going to be hard to control and with the leadership changing horses I think there is a chance you’ll get reform.


12 posted on 07/09/2018 12:26:56 PM PDT by Brilliant
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