Yaremis Flores

Cases
Location of case in SG report
2014-021-002
Relevant SG report
Year of the report
2014
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
  • UN Treaty Bodies: CEDAW
  • UN Special Procedures: Thematic
Dates of prior UN action
23 July 2013
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

representative of the NGO Cubalex

Type of rights defended
  • Unclear in SG Report
Was the victim a civil servant or member of the security forces or of the judiciary?
No
Reported trigger of reprisal

fifty-fifth session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women,

Engagement with UN body
  • UN Treaty Bodies: CEDAW
Dates of engagement
7 July 2013; 8 July 2013
Type of attempted engagement
  • Participation in meeting on UN premises
Dates of mentioned reprisals
7 July 2013; 8 July 2013
Reprisal information

As they arrived at Geneva airport on 7 July 2013, an individual, later identified as a staff member of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Cuba to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland, took pictures of them without permission, telling them that he knew who they were. The following day, during a private NGO briefing, members of NGOs allegedly linked to the Government of Cuba harassed and insulted Ms. Diversent and Mr. Flores. The same individual who had photographed them at the airport took pictures of them during the Committee’s informal public NGO briefing, saying, among other things, “I know what they are doing”.

Types of reprisals suffered
  • Surveillance
  • Threats/Intimidations (incl. "fear of reprisal")
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?
No
Government response dates
29 July 2013; 19 August 2013
Government response content

In its reply to the special rapporteurs, the Government provided detailed information on the case and rejected the allegations.

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?
0