Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

With regard to the question of unfair detention to which the Deputy refers, in a report of 2005 the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention stated that its determination does not imply consideration regarding the innocence or guilt of the concerned persons and that the working group does not substitute itself for the domestic courts. It is my understanding that a number of appeals have been lodged on behalf of the defendants and these remain under active judicial review within the framework of US domestic law.

Of course we condemn all abuses of human rights but it is fair to say that the Cuban regime has left much to be desired in regard to the issue of human rights over the past 50 years or so. This is one of the reasons the EU, as far back as 1996, adopted a common position in this regard.

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