Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
World Association of Newspapers
The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization made up of 76 national newspaper associations, 12 news agencies, 10 regional press organisations, and many individual newspaper ex ...
Committee to Protect Journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is an American independent non-profit, non-governmental organization, based in New York City, New York, with correspondents around the world. CPJ promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journa ...
. In 1995, the ''
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
The ''Sun Sentinel'' (also known as the ''South Florida Sun Sentinel'', known until 2008 as the ''Sun-Sentinel'', and stylized on its masthead as ''SunSentinel'') is the main daily newspaper of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as well as surrounding Br ...
'' described him as "Cuba's leading dissident journalist".
Background
Restano began his career as a radio journalist, but an interview he gave to a US journalist saw him spend a short time in prison and then lose his job in 1985.
In 1990, he was a founder of the ''Movimiento de Armonía'' (MAR; English: "Harmony Movement"), an unofficial political group which sought "to help through our ideas with the transition from state socialism to democratic socialism in our country". He also acted as the group's president.
1990 arrest
On 20 December 1991, Restano was approached and handcuffed in Vedado,
Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.
outside of his parents' home. His detainers, who arrived in a private vehicle, took him to the headquarters of the Department of State Security. Six days later, MAR members Berenice Morales, Jorge Egaña and Iraida Montalvo Miranda were also arrested.
Amnesty International
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
declared the four prisoners of conscience, "detained solely on account of their peaceful political activities", and called for their immediate release.
Restano's trial began on 20 May 1992. Standing trial with him was María Elena Aparicio, a museum employee and fellow MAR member who was said to be MAR's coordinator for Havana. The pair was charged with rebellion; the prosecutor alleged that they had violated Cuban law by forming a political organization without government permission, that they had planned to form clandestine cells for the violent overthrow of the government, and that they had produced and distributed anti-government propaganda materials. Both were convicted, with sentences of ten years of imprisonment for Restano and seven for Aparicio. Restano was then sent to Guanajay Prison,
Havana Province
La Habana Province , formerly known as Ciudad de La Habana Province, is a province of Cuba that includes the territory of the city of Havana, the Republic's capital. Between 1878 and 2010, the name referred to another province that covered a m ...
, to serve his term.
Release and Independent Press Bureau of Cuba founding
During a 1995 trip to France by
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...
,
Danielle Mitterrand
Danielle Émilienne Isabelle Mitterrand (née Gouze; 29 October 1924 – 22 November 2011) was the wife of French President François Mitterrand, and president of the foundation France Libertés Fondation Danielle Mitterrand.French President
François Mitterrand
François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he ...
, requested his release along with that of five other prisoners. Restano was released on 2 June of that year, having completed four years of his ten-year sentence, and France-Libertes, the organization headed by Danielle Mitterrand, was credited by
Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency was estab ...
and other news organizations with having secured his release. Following his release, he stated that he intended to continue working for "democracy and human rights" in Cuba.
On 15 September 1995, Restano founded the Independent Press Bureau of Cuba with the support of the France-based press freedom organization
Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders (RWB; french: Reporters sans frontières; RSF) is an international non-profit and non-governmental organization with the stated aim of safeguarding the right to freedom of information. It describes its advocacy as found ...
. According to Restano, the following day, two colonels from Cuba's
Ministry of the Interior
An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs.
Lists of current ministries of internal affairs
Named "ministry"
* Ministry ...
met with him for more than six hours, at one point stating, "Someone could kill you, Indamiro. This is the most sensitive area where you are attempting to tread".
International recognition
In 1994, while still incarcerated, Restano won an International Press Freedom Award of the committee to Protect Journalists, "an annual recognition of courageous journalism".
Along with Burmese novelist San San Nwe, he was also given the 1995
PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award
Awards presented by the PEN American Center (today PEN America) that are no longer active.
The awards are among many PEN awards sponsored by International PEN in over 145 PEN centres around the world. The PEN American Center awards have been ch ...
, which recognizes writers "who have fought courageously in the face of adversity for the right to freedom of expression".
Following his release, Restano was awarded the 1996 World Association of Newspapers' Golden Pen of Freedom, which recognizes "the outstanding action, in writing or deed, of an individual, a group or an institution in the cause of press freedom".