Dora L. Mesa
Cases- Location of case in SG report
- 2018-024-001
- Relevant SG report
- Year of the report
- 2018
- From Country
- Country Geolocation
Latitude: 21.521757
Longitude: -77.781167
- Country Geolocation (linked Cases)
- Cuba
- From Region
- UN body that raised the case prior to the SG report
- Assistant Secretary-General
- Dates of prior UN action
- 11 April 2018
- Type of record
- Named individual
- Gender
- Female
- Was the victim a foreign national?
- No
- Was the victim a minor?
- No
- Individual's/organization's activity
Asociación Cubana para el Desarrollo de la ducación Infantil (ACDEI)
- Type of rights defended
- Children’s rights
- Was the victim a civil servant, member of the security forces or of the judiciary?
- No
- Reported trigger of reprisal
Engaging with the UN, attempting to engage with UPR; had planned to participate in pre-meetings related to the universal periodic review.
- Engagement with UN body
- UN Human Rights Council: UN Human Rights Council - General
- UN Human Rights Council: UPR
- Unclear
- Dates of engagement
- unclear
- Type of attempted engagement
- Participation in meeting on UN premises
- Dates of mentioned reprisals
- unclear
- Reprisal information
advised at the passport office (Oficinas de la Dirección de Inmigración y Extranjería) that an indefinite travel ban had been imposed on her due to ‘public interest.’ Ms. Mesa has no past criminal or judicial charge pending, and there is concern that this de facto travel ban has been imposed as a reprisal in relation to her previous engagement with United Nations human rights mechanisms and to prevent her from engaging with the universal periodic review.
- Types of reprisals suffered
- Surveillance
- Threats/Intimidations (incl. "fear of reprisal")
- Travel restriction
- Alleged/likely perpetrators
- State actors
- Was the reprisal based on new legislation?
- No
- Does the report make general comment about country’s environment for engagement with UN?
- Yes
- Further case development
She has reportedly been subject to surveillance and harassment at her home.
- Government response dates
- 10 May 2018
- Government response content
the Government responded that the individuals mentioned in the letter do not merit the categorization of ‘human rights defender’ because of the large monetary sums received for their work from undue foreign influence intent on regime change. The Government stated that these individuals should be more appropriately called ‘foreign agents,’ and rejected categorically the allegations of reprisals.
- Which State raised the case at the UN and when?
BENELUX: June 2019 HRC 40 Item 5
- Is the country cited for a "pattern of reprisal" in the context of this case?
- No
- Is a pattern of reprisals mentioned otherwise in the context of this case?
- No
- Does the report cite "self-censorship" as an issue in the context of this case?
- No
- How many times has the case been followed up in subsequent SG reports?
- 1
- In which SG report was this case followed up on? 0
- 2019
- Follow up information provided in SG report 0
The case of Ms. Dora L. Mesa, of Asociación Cubana para el Desarrollo de la Educación Infantil (ACDEI), was included in the 2018 report of the Secretary-General (A/HRC/39/41, Annex I, paras. 24–25). According to new information, Ms. Mesa continues to be the subject of harassment, intimidation and threats, including death threats. Ms. Mesa has been threatened at her home by a man who identified himself as a member of State Security, with severe consequences including to her physical integrity, should she not cooperate with them. She does not leave home for fear of being attacked. Her attempts to appeal to the Supreme People’s Court for the return of her passport failed. She has been interviewed by police officers who have told her not to have contact with any official from the OHCHR or do research on child rights in Cuba. 39. The Assistant Secretary-General addressed the allegations of reprisals against Ms. Mesa on 27 December 2018. On 16 January 2019, the Government responded categorically denying the allegations and rejecting that, without new elements, allegations previously responded to are taken up again. The Government reiterated elements of its previous response of 10 May 2018 (A/HRC/39/41, Annex I, para. 26), including that the individuals mentioned in the letter pretend to be human rights defenders when they commit illegal acts aimed at overthrowing constitutional order established in the country following instructions and funding from foreign governments. The Government expressed concern that there are no safeguards to prevent the politization, selectivity and arbitrariness of the use of the reprisals mandate against developing countries.
- Followup Trends 0
- Deterioration/further reprisals
- Did the government respond? 0
- Yes
- Was this case followed up by a UN body? 0
- Assistant Secretary-General