IACHR Grants Precautionary Measures in Favor of Human Rights Defender Aniette González García in Cuba

May 6, 2024

Washington, D.C. – The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued Resolution 24/2024 on April 26, 2024, to grant precautionary measures in favor of human rights defender Aniette González García in Cuba, in the belief that she faces a serious, urgent risk of suffering irreparable harm to her rights to life and personal integrity.

The request for these precautionary measures alleged that Aniette González García was deprived of liberty in a cell that was flooded in water that leaked from facility pipes. The cell allegedly had very high humidity, little light, and very poor ventilation, among other unsanitary conditions. González García was allegedly being prevented from getting adequate rest and was not being given sufficient food. She had also allegedly been subjected to verbal violence by officers of the State and forced to endure interrogation at very low temperatures and at inappropriate times of day, to cause her emotional distress.

Concerning her health, the request for these precautionary measures alleged that Aniette González García had lost weight and felt weak as a result of health issues that had got worse because she had no access to medical care that might enable an adequate diagnosis. The State failed to provide information to prove that the risk factors that had been identified had been adequately mitigated.

After assessing the legal and factual allegations made by the party who requested these precautionary measures, the IACHR found that Aniette González García's conditions of detention in a maximum-security prison were being monitored by security officers. The Commission noted that her vulnerability was gradually getting worse due to the lack of medical care and to the fact that she was not getting food and other supplies reflecting her health condition.

The Commission is particularly concerned about allegations that the proposed beneficiary lacked access to medical care that might enable an appropriate assessment of the vaginal bleeding she had been suffering. Consequently, in keeping with Article 25 of its Rules of Procedure, the Commission asked the State of Cuba to:

1. Adopt any measures necessary to protect the rights to life, personal integrity, and health of Aniette González García, with a gender perspective, in compliance with the applicable international obligations and standards
2. Implement any measures necessary to ensure that the beneficiary's conditions of detention reflect the applicable international standards (particularly by ensuring that she undergoes all necessary medical examinations and is prescribed appropriate medical treatment)
3. Come to an agreement with the beneficiary and her representatives concerning any measures that need to be taken
4. Report on any actions adopted to investigate the alleged events that gave rise to the adoption of these precautionary measures, in order to prevent such events from happening again in the future

The fact that these precautionary measures have been granted and their adoption by the State do not entail a prejudgment on a potential petition that may be filed before the inter-American system to allege violations of rights protected by the American Convention on Human Rights and other applicable instruments.

A principal, autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), the IACHR derives its mandate from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has a mandate to promote respect for and to defend human rights in the region and acts as a consultative body to the OAS in this area. The Commission is composed of seven independent members who are elected in an individual capacity by the OAS General Assembly and who do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 092/24

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