Sir, I would strongly recommend that the Green Party TD, Mr Trevor Sargent, travels to Cuba and requests a visit to a Cuban prison. The picture that he colourfully paints in your front page article (October 23rd) is mistaken and misleading.
The Department of Justice is justified in its action to turn down the request of Cuban refugees to seek asylum under the Geneva Convention. The Cuban refugees in this country are economic refugees and the department is to be congratulated on its openness in considering granting asylum on humanitarian grounds.
There is no doubt that life in Cuba is hard and there are shortages of food and medicine. At the time that most of these refugees left there, the tat are looked very bleak. However, there have been several Irish parliamentary delegations to Cuba at the invitation of the Cuban Government. Some of these delegates have visited political prisoners and did not see signs of mistreatment or "horrific conditions".
Mr Sargent chooses to believe the word of desperate refugees before checking out the true picture. In a world where Cuba is struggling to survive against continued pressure from the US (the embargo, the Helms Burton Bill etc.), his comments as reported by you are, to say the least, less than helpful. - Yours, etc.,
Cuba Solidarity Campaign.
20 Sea view Terrace,
Howth, Co Dublin.