AAAS Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program

The Right to Travel

In the News

Recent news items on US-Cuba scientific and academic collaboration, the right to travel, and Cuban science and technology.

No Judges to Hear Cuban Travel Cases: Accused in 1996 of illegally traveling to Cuba, piano tuner Ben Treuhaft has waited for his day in a court that does not exist. The government has not hired a single judge or held a single hearing, nine years after Congress granted the right to civil hearings for anyone alleged to have violated the Cuba travel ban. (By Ken Guggenheim, Associated Press, December 17, 2001)

Lengthy Backlog of Cuba Travel Cases: Nine years after Congress granted the right to civil hearings for anyone accused of violating the Cuba travel ban, no judges have been hired and no hearings have been held. (By Ken Guggenheim, Associated Press, December 16, 2001)

Cuba Wants U.S. to End Travel Ban: Cuba's foreign minister said the United States should remove restrictions on travel to Cuba, predicting Tuesday that 2 million Americans visitors would "flood the country.'' (By Gerald Nadler, Associated Press, November 27, 2001)

El verdadero color de la tarjeta blanca: Era increíble para sus vecinos que Ela, joven polaca residente en Cuba desde los años 80, pudiera viajar a cualquier lugar del mundo sólo con su pasaporte. No necesitaba ningún permiso para ello. Y aún en nuestros días este asunto es incomprensible para muchos compatriotas. (Por Amarilis Cortina Rey, Cuba-Verdad / CubaNet La Habana, 27 Septiembre 2001)

Lawmaker: Cuba Amendment Will Pass: A U.S. congressman who sponsored an amendment to end the ban on travel to Cuba said Monday he believes President Bush won't fight the measure. (By Traci Carl, Associated Press, September 10, 2001)

Congressman Meets Cuban Dissidents: An American congressman visiting Havana as part of his campaign to end the U.S. ban on most travel to Cuba met Sunday with dissidents, his spokesman said. (AP, September 9, 2001)

¿Para qué un pasaporte cubano? : En Cuba, tanto la libreta de productos alimenticios como el pasaporte son documentos obsoletos. Me puse a pensar en esto -¿manías de vieja?- cuando registraba recientemente papeles amarillos por el tiempo, y encontré una libreta de racionamiento de los sesenta del siglo pasado con casi todas sus casillas llenas, lo que quiere decir que se vendía algo para alimentarse. Lo contrario de hoy, pues las libretas actuales están prácticamente en blanco. (Por Tania Díaz Castro, UPECI, Cubanet, August 31, 2001.)

Cuba's Hidden Cost: The most frugal American traveler cannot get around the nasty legal catch that, as part of US sanctions against Cuba, the US government allows them to travel to Cuba but forbids them from spending any money there. Nonetheless, around 50,000 US citizens sneak into Cuba every year by travelling via Canada, the Bahamas or Mexico. Theoretically, unauthorized travel to Cuba can incur fines of US$250,000 and a 10-year jail term. Such hefty penalties have never been imposed, but increasingly travelers are being caught out and asked to pay a small fine. The number of people penalized is still a tiny fraction of the thousands that go, but the figure jumped from less than 200 last year to around 450 over just two months this year. (Yahoo News, August 29, 2001.)

Bush Announces Tougher Line on Cuba: Calling sanctions against Fidel Castro Cuba "a moral statement,'' President Bush ordered stricter enforcement of the U.S. trade embargo and greater support Friday to dissidents on the communist island. Bush also said he was asking the Treasury Department to do more to ensure that American tourism in Cuba, banned by law, is not occurring under the guise of permitted pro-democracy cultural exchanges. (By Sandra Sobieraj, Associated Press, July 13, 2001.)

U.S. Tightens Cuban Embargo: The Bush Administration appears to be increasing enforcement of parts of the economic embargo against Cuba this year, denying visas to Cuban officials wanting to come to this country and more carefully scrutinizing Americans who fly to the island through third countries like Canada (By Rafael Lorente Washington Bureau, Sun Sentinel, July 5 2001.)

Democrats Move to Relax U.S. Embargo Against Cuba: With the U.S. Senate back in their control, Democrats are confident they will pass a law this year relaxing the 4-decade-old trade embargo against Communist-led Cuba, aides said on Wednesday. (By Anthony Boadle, Reuters, June 13, 2001.)

Silicon Island: A Cuban Fantasy? With the help of Canadian investors, the last bastion of communism intends to join the only revolution it missed–the technological one. (Wired Magazine, Article by Angel Gonzalez, June 6, 2001.)

New Cuba Medical School Applications Available
IFCO is pleased to announce that an updated version of the application for full scholarship to study medicine at the Latin American School of Medical Sciences in Havana, Cuba is now available. Your request for this revised application for admission to the September semester must include the following information: Applicant's full name, Complete mailing address, Phone numbers for day and evening, Information as to when it the best time to reach you, and Email, fax and cell phone if available.

All applications must be on this new form. Priority consideration will be given to African-American, Latino/a, Native American, Asian American and other youth from poor and under-served areas. Applicants must be US citizens between 18 and 25 years of age, and high school graduates.

Please help IFCO spread information about this very special opportunity to study medicine on full scholarship and return to provide health care to under-served areas in the US. All community organizers, school counselors, pastors and others are urged to share this information with your constituents and members. Please spread the word; forward and share; thank you! IFCO/Pastors for Peace 402 W 145th Street New York City, NY 10031 212-926-5757 fax: 212-926-5842 email: ifco@igc.org web: http://www.ifconews.org.)

U.S. Academics Help Delve Into Cuba Treasure Trove: From marriage and dowry records to cargo inventories and sales of slaves, the daily details of centuries of Spanish colonial rule in Cuba lie buried amid millions of pages of aging legal documents in its National Archives. (By Frances Kerry, Reuters, June 1, 2001.)

Sickle Cell Disease in Cuba: Effect of the Economic Embargo: by Kenneth R. Bridges, M.D., Joint Center for Sickle Cell and Thalassemic Disorders, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA( From the Pugwash Conference in Cuba "Medical Research in Cuba: Strengthening International Cooperation," 15-17 February 2001.)

U.S. Bars Cuban Envoy From University Lecture: The United States has barred a senior Cuban U.N. envoy from delivering a lecture on "Cuba after Castro'' at a Pennsylvania university, saying the speech was unrelated to his diplomatic duties. (Reuters, February 26, 2001.)

Albright: Bush Can't Change Policy: Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright says President Bush would be unable to respond to creative change in Cuba because U.S. law prevents him from doing anything "until a near perfect democracy was in place."...Her remarks were directed at congressional action in recent years that prevents the executive branch from making changes in the U.S. embargo against Cuba or altering the rules governing travel by Americans to Cuba. (Associated Press, February 22, 2001.)

U.S. Policy Experts Encouraged by Talks in Cuba: American foreign policy experts who produced a report recommending closer U.S.-Cuban ties said on Sunday they were encouraged by the Cuban government's private response to the proposals despite an initial public rejection. (By Pascal Fletcher, Reuters, February 18, 2001.)

United State International Trade Commission Releases Report on the Economic Impact of U.S. Sanctions with Respect to Cuba. The ITC, an independent, nonpartisan, factfinding federal agency, prepared the report for the Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representatives. As requested, the report provides an overview of U.S. sanctions with respect to Cuba; describes the Cuban economy, Cuban trade and investment policies, and trade and investment trends; analyzes the historical impact of U.S. sanctions on both the U.S. and Cuban economies; and evaluates the current impact on U.S.-Cuban bilateral trade, investment, employment, and consumers. (February 16, 2001.)

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(Site Updated 12/17/2001)