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Roberto de Miranda

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Roberto de Miranda
Born1947
Camaguey, Cuba
OccupationProfessor

Roberto de Miranda (born 1947 in Camagüey, Cuba) is a Cuban professor and head of the College of Independent Teachers of Cuba, a non-governmental organization that he founded in July 1992.[1] The organization seeks "the de-ideologization of education in Cuba and denounces violations against students and professors that do not share the political ideals of the system."[1] Roberto de Miranda also founded the Félix Varela Independent Library in 2000.[1]

The goal of this system is to create false nationalism - something that has hurt our youth tremendously. [...] It is a grotesque invention, a lie that has been perpetrated for 40 years. [...] There isn't one young person on the island who believes in Communism. Our youth is more rebellious by the day and less [academically] prepared. They reject the system because there is too much manipulation. We are fooling ourselves if we think otherwise.[2]

He was imprisoned during the Black Spring crackdown on dissidents in 2003 and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Amnesty International declared him as a prisoner of conscience.[3]

He received the 2003 Pedro Luis Boitel Freedom Award.[1]

He was released after 14 months of jail, possibly because the Cuban government feared the international backlash if he had died in jail.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Roberto de Miranda Hernandez".
  2. ^ "Cuba's educational system presses revolutionary message along with ABC's". Miami Herald. August 6, 2000. Archived from the original on 2009-09-27.
  3. ^ "Cuba: One year too many: prisoners of conscience from the March 2003 crackdown". Amnesty International. 16 March 2004.
  4. ^ "Cuban dissidents struggle against regime".
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