US embassy cable - 05SANTODOMINGO2005

UNCLAS SANTO DOMINGO 002005 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR WHA/CAR, WHA/CCA, WHA/PPC, DRL; SOUTHCOM ALSO FOR 
POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, PREF, DR, CU, SP 
SUBJECT: EMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO HELPS MOVE CUBAN DISSIDENT 
TO POLITICAL ASYLUM IN SPAIN 
 
 
1.  With the help of the International Organization for 
Migration (IOM), Embassy Santo Domingo facilitated the travel 
of Cuban dissident Mario Clavero through the Dominican 
Republic April 5-6 to Spain, which had agreed to grant him 
political asylum. 
 
2.  Clavero, a human rights advocate in Cuba, attempted to 
travel illegally to the United States nearly two years ago. 
He was picked up by the U.S. Coast Guard just 10 miles from 
the United States coastline.  On his way to be repatriated, 
Clavero was able to demonstrate to a DHS official that he had 
a credible fear of persecution if he returned to Cuba.  His 
seven fellow travelers (acquaintances, but not close friends) 
were taken back to Cuba, while Clavero was taken to 
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base for further processing. 
 
3.  Separated from his wife and children, who were able to 
leave Cuba or were already living abroad, Clavero had to wait 
in Guantanamo Bay for the process to sort itself out. 
According to an Internet source, at one point he participated 
in a hunger strike because of the delay in processing asylum 
claims.  According to Clavero, he ended up waiting in 
Guantanamo Bay for "20 months and five days" while U.S. 
officials worked with the IOM to find a third country that 
would accept him. Clavero described conditions in Guantanamo 
as basic, saying that for some time he had to share a small 
room with two other asylum seekers.  Although he was treated 
well and was able to move around much of the base, he felt 
overwhelmed by the monotony of life, an opinion shared by an 
IOM representative posted to Guantanamo Bay for a year-long 
assignment. 
 
4.  At last Clavero received word that Spain would accept 
him, and the Department and IOM officials began the process 
of getting him there.  Spain wanted Clavero to arrive with a 
travel document and visa.  Since he had no passport, the 
decision was made to send Clavero to the nearest Spanish 
Consular Section (in Santo Domingo) with an IOM-provided 
travel document in order to solicit a Spanish visa. 
Officials in Madrid were advised of the plan, and they in 
turn notified the Spanish Embassy to prepare to issue Clavero 
the visa. 
 
5.  A key step was to obtain permission from the Dominican 
authorities for Clavero to enter and depart the Dominican 
Republic without a passport.  IOM official in Santo Domingo 
Fanny Polania appealed directly to Migration Director Carlos 
Amarante Baret, who signed a letter granting Clavero 
permission to enter the Dominican Republic to solicit a 
Spanish visa.  With the documents in order, arrangements were 
made to fly Clavero to Santo Domingo on military air and then 
proceed to Spain on a non-stop flight, where he would 
officially apply for political asylum. 
 
6.  Clavero arrived in the Dominican Republic on April 5 on a 
U.S. Navy aircraft.  This was Clavero,s first flight and, 
except for the failed attempt to enter the United States, the 
first time that he had been outside of Cuba.  Although there 
was some difficulty with migration officials, a call to the 
Deputy Migration Director cleared things up, and Clavero's 
entry was approved.  After a an overnight stay in a hotel, 
Clavero proceeded to the Spanish consular section for an 
appointment with the Consul General.  The Spanish officials 
were well prepared for the appointment.  After reviewing the 
documents and filling out a few forms, they issued the visa 
on a blank sheet of paper. 
 
7.  With visa and travel document in hand, Clavero was 
escorted by IOM to the Santo Domingo airport to fly to Madrid 
and on to Alicante, where he was at last reunited with his 
wife and daughter. 
HERTELL