“The Voice of Freedom and Democracy in Cuba will not be silenced” – IDU and IDC-CDI strongly condemn the denial of access to Cuba for former Presidents of Colombia Andrés Pastrana and of Bolivia Jorge Quiroga

On Wednesday the former Presidents of Colombia and Bolivia, Andres Pastrana and Jorge Quiroga were detained at Havana airport and denied entry to Cuba.

President Pastrana, IDC-CDI Chairman and Honorary Chairman of IDU´s Latin American regional Association UPLA, and President Quiroga were invited to receive an award for Freedom and Democracy on behalf of the Democratic Initiative of Spain and the Americas (IDEA), a forum of 37 former presidents and heads of state. They also intended to participate at the Oswaldo Payá Ceremony of the Latin American Youth Network for Democracy.

By denying President Pastrana and President Quiroga access to Cuba and to meet with the democratic opposition, the Castro regime once again unsuccessfully tried to silence the voice of Freedom and Democracy. Instead it proved the regimes own picture as a free and democratic society as a fairy tale.

The International Democrat Union IDU and the Centrist Democrat International IDC-CDI strongly condemn the un-democratic behavior of the Castro-regime: “The Voice of Freedom and Democracy in Cuba will not be silenced by the dictatorial Cuban regime. IDU and IDC-CDI will continue to support the people of Cuba in their fight for Freedom, Democracy and full respect for Human rights, as well as the immediate and unconditional liberation of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience .”

IDC-CDI and IDU also denounces that while Cuban President Raul Castro is welcoming President Nicolas Maduro and advocating for him to speak at the Latin America Summit -Cumbre de las Americas-, he refuses ex Presidents democratically elected to enter Cuba.

IDC-CDI and IDU denounce the lack of electoral supervision missions and call for free, plural and democratic elections

On IDU and IDC-CDI:

IDU and IDC-CDI represent more than 150 political christian-democrat, center-right and conservative parties from all over the world. IDU and IDC-CDI are convinced that granting the universal rights of the Declaration of Human Rights, especially the freedoms of expression and assembly, will help the people of Cuban on their way to Freedom, Democracy and Prosperity.