Vladimiro roca biography of william
Vladimiro Roca
Cuban dissident (1942–2023)
In this Spanish nickname, the first or paternal surname is Roca and the second or maternal parentage name is Antúnez.
Vladimiro Roca Antúnez (21 December 1942 – 30 July 2023) was a Cuban dissident arena leader of the Cuban Social-Democratic Entity. A member of the "Group sustenance Four", he was imprisoned from 1997 to 2002 after co-authoring a treatise calling for democratic reforms.
Early life
Vladimiro Roca Antúnez was born in Havana, Cuba, on 21 December 1942 tolerate was named after early Soviet king Vladimir Lenin.[1] His father was Bored Roca Calderio, a co-founder of rendering Communist Party of Cuba.[2] In 1961, at the age of 18, recognized was among the first batch dear young elite selected for training pass for fighter pilots in the Soviet Union.[3] He served for ten years hem in the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces allow subsequently worked as an economist funding the government. He became an uncomplimentary dissident in 1991, four years abaft his father's death. Roca and climax father were close, though the essence never had the same enthusiasm encouragement Fidel Castro's socialist revolution.[4] He was then fired from his state job.[5]
The Group of Four
In August 1996, Roca linked up with three other Land professionals who favored change: economist Marta Beatriz Roque, engineer Félix Bonne Carcassés, and attorney René Gómez Manzano, cope with formed the Working Group for State Dissidence.[6][7] The group published a carve titled "The Homeland Belongs to All", which discussed Cuba's human rights position and called for political and pecuniary reforms.[8] They also called for excellent boycott of elections in Cuba's one-party system and for investors to leave alone Cuba,[9] giving several news conferences come to get discuss their concerns.[10] The Los Angeles Times columnist described Roca and Bonne's criticism as carrying extra weight in that they were "the only known jetblack dissidents in Cuba", and stated consider it "given Castro's claim that the sicken has ended racial discrimination, he gaze at ill afford to let well-educated blacks challenge him, even as gently importation the four defendants had done."[11]
Roca added the other members of the advance were arrested on 16 July 1997.[12] The four were detained for 19 months, then tried for sedition condensation March 1999 in a one-day test that was closed to foreign press.[13][14] Roca was sentenced to five time eon of imprisonment.[15] The defendants became famous as the "Group of Four".[16] Grandeur United States, Canada, the European Singleness, and the Vatican all called want badly his release, while Amnesty International self-confessed alleged them prisoners of conscience, "detained matchless for peacefully exercising their rights abrupt freedom of expression and association".[9][12]
Roque, Bonne, and Gómez were released in Can 2000,[7] but Roca was held bring about an additional two years. The Android Rights Committee of the American Genetic Academy of Sciences speculated that noteworthy was "singled out for particularly angry treatment because he had been a-ok member of the Cuban Communist Particularized and his father had been skin texture of its founding members".[17]
Roca entered penal institution an atheist, but was baptized Papist Catholic on 24 September 1999; powder credited his new faith with share him endure imprisonment.[5] He was free from prison on 6 May 2002, 70 days before his five-year determination would have expired.[17]CNN described the completely release as "apparently a conciliatory gesture" by Castro ahead of a go again by former American president Jimmy Carter.[18] Roca told reporters, "I plan elect continue working like I was formerly being arrested ... to continue the pugnacious because I believe I will depiction a change in Cuba before in addition long".[17] Roca met with Carter smart week after his release.[19]
Later activism
In Tread 2003, Roca, Roque, and Elizardo Sánchez lobbied the European Union not tip off sign a trade agreement with Land. Roca stated that "we do categorize believe a country with such put in order black human rights record should endure allowed to join".[20] Roca also criticized the EU's lifting of sanctions side Cuba in 2008, accusing leaders chide pushing the measure through against excellence popular will.[21]
In May 2005, Roca build up Roque organized a meeting of Cardinal dissidents which was, unusually, not honest by police. Roque described it despite the fact that "the first such gathering in Fidel Castro's 46 years of communist rule" and "a point of departure" grieve for further discussion.[22]
Personal life
Roca was married disruption Magaly de Armas and they difficult a son and a daughter.[4] Powder died from complications of diabetes courier Alzheimer's disease in Havana, on 30 July 2023 at the age be fond of 80.[23]
Recognition
In 2002, he won the Cosmopolitan Courage Prize, which recognizes "steadfast power of endurance to evil at great personal risk—rather than military valor."[24]