Award-winning author dedicates prize to “all Cubans”

Date: 19/12/02

By Martin Banks

OSWALDO Paya, the Cuban dissident writer who won this year's Sakharov Prize, dedicated his award to "all Cubans".

The prize is awarded annually by the European Parliament in recognition of people who campaign for freedom of thought and expression. Past winners include Nelson Mandela.

Paya was allowed to travel to Strasbourg to collect the prize only after a personal intervention by the assembly's President, Pat Cox, who wrote to Cuban leader Fidel Castro asking for him to be granted permission to leave and re-enter the country.

Paya has fought tirelessly for many years for human rights to be respected in his country and was the main organiser behind a campaign calling for a referendum on democracy in Cuba.

Addressing MEPs on Tuesday, Paya dedicated the award to his fellow Cubans, saying: "This prize is for them because I believe that in awarding it, Europe wishes to say to them "you too are entitled to rights".

"It is becoming increasingly apparent that well-being and economic and social progress are the fruit of being able to exercise one's rights.

"In the same way, a democracy is not genuine and complete if it cannot initiate and sustain a process that raises the quality of life of all its citizens.

"The people of Cuba and Latin America are calling for a genuine democracy which will enable justice to be established.

"We now know that any method which purportedly aims to achieve justice and development but takes precedence over the individual or cancels out any of the fundamental rights leads to a form of oppression."

Cox, who presented the award, said: "We salute Oswaldo Paya's decision to use the pen and not the sword, signatures and not bullets, peace and not terror, as the pathway to democracy in his country."

Oswaldo Paya, the Cuban dissident writer, has won this year's Sakharov Prize, awarded annually by the European Parliament in recognition of people who campaign for freedom of thought and expression.