Absurdities

Absurdities / Cuban Law Association, Wilfredo Vallín Almeida
Cuban Law Association, Translator: Unstated, Wilfredo Vallin Almeida

By Wilfredo Vallín Almeida

One fine day the decision was made to sell cell phones to ordinary,
everyday Cubans.

To many of us, who had never been "authorized" to have a landline in our
house, they are now selling phones … cellulars.

But, like so many other things that are hard to understand in this
country, cell phones proved to be one of those insoluble contradictions,
because before their appearance in society, it was possible to keep many
"awkward" events hushed up. Now thousands of people walk down the street
with them and it is not so easy to maintain the "secrecy" of some events.

So, if there is an altercation in a baseball stadium, "alternative"
telephones are there to quickly let everyone know what happened, and
occasionally include an on-scene video.

If a person is arrested on a public street (ordinarily without an arrest
warrant) as usually happens to those on their way to journalism courses,
there is always someone to take snapshots of what occurred, or to make a
"live" report from their location giving details and identifying the
patrolmen involved and even the license plate numbers of the police cars.

But as every action is followed by a reaction (at least that's what we
learned in physics), the police tactic has been to remove the license
plate whenever there is danger of it being filmed in some way. So many
citizens have been able to verify this "act" on repeated occasions.

To be fair, we have also seen law enforcement officers who do not hide
their plates in these circumstances, and officers willing to fully
identify themselves; but the truth is that these are in the minority.

Another reaction has been to prevent the taking of pictures. Thus, in a
recent building collapse caused by rain on Monte Street in central
Havana, just a few days ago, a person taking pictures of the place was
about to be arrested by the police because (this is what that they
argued) "you cannot take pictures of building collapses or fires."

Nothing was said, however, about those responsible for the fall of the
building.

In even more extreme cases, the approach has been to forcibly seize the
person's camera or phone (or both) — items that in many cases those
deprived have never seen again … without explanations of criminal
proceedings of any kind.

The latest thing I've heard on this subject was told to me by a friend
from Pinar del Río last week. A police dog was checking for drugs in
some luggage. My friend liked the dog and took a picture … and ended up
in a jail cell where he had to go on a hunger strike before they finally
released him some days later, because "police dogs cannot be portrayed
while they work."

It is possible that readers from other countries will see in these words
an exaggeration or an intention to discredit. Neither is true, it is
just that – for our tragedy – Cuba is today, as much as it hurts us, a
country of ABSURDITIES.

July 6 2012

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