Putting on Notice Human Rights Abusers from Cuba Hiding in the United States

In this edition, we head south to South Florida to speak with lawyer and human rights defender, Mr. Santiago A. Alpízar. A native of Cuba and born after the socialist takeover of Cuba in 1959, he became a lawyer in Cuba who managed a wide range of casework early in his career. Yet, Santiago paid a high price for refusing to join the Communist Party, and he talks about his journey to freedom and the practicing law in the United States. Santiago is one of four lawyers in South Florida who, over a decade ago, founded an organization dedicated to holding to account human rights abusers from Cuba who enter the United States. In 2019, Santiago and his fellow lawyers at Cuba Repression ID provided information to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that led to the arrest and imprisonment of a former lieutenant colonel of a Cuban State Security officer. Projects such as Cuban Repression ID are essential to helping advance the cause of justice in the United States and, perhaps someday, Communist Cuba, where the rule of law remains illusory. Working with the information provided by a variety of sources in the United States and Cuba, they help U.S. law enforcement identify, through photographs and film footage, individuals who beat or harass unarmed critics of Cuba's communist government. Many laws are making it increasingly difficult for foreigners who commit human rights abuses in foreign lands to hide in the United States. In addition to his work in the United States, Jason talks to Santiago about the challenges of practicing law in Cuba. For example, did you know that most Cuban lawyers are required to work for law firms owned by the government? While there is some room for lawyering outside of the state system, it is illegal for lawyers to open a private law firm or represent clients in administrative hearings or court proceedings. However, Cuban lawyers, the brave ones, have used the Cuban legal system to do what they can and press cases in a variety of creative ways to advance the cause of justice. It is a form of civil resistance lawyering, and it is not for the faint of heart! Further reading Cuba Repressor ID (website). Santiago Alpizar's law firm in Miami, Florida (Alpizar Law). The Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC). A video of President Ronald Reagan's 1983 speech in Miami, Florida at a Cuban Independence Day celebration. Ethiopian human rights abuser sentenced for fraudulently obtaining US citizenship by admitted a series of lies in the naturalization process, including failure to disclose participation in persecution during the Red Terror period in Ethiopia (DHS Press Release). List of denaturalized former citizens of the United States (Wikipedia). --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/global-liberty-alliance/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/global-liberty-alliance/support