Diplomatic case in Havana in 1980
In a diplomatic case at the Peruvian embassy in Havana ( Cuba ) in April 1980, more than 10,000 Cuban citizens were granted diplomatic protection . As a result of the event , an additional 120,000 Cubans were able to leave the country as part of the Mariel boat crisis .
course
The then charge d'affaires of the Embassy of Peru in Havana, Ernesto Pinto Bazurco Rittler , took over despite all the risks, the responsibility for Cuban citizens and took them to the embassy or only about 2,000 m² outdoor grounds. On the night of April 4th and 5th, Pinto-Bazurco Rittler negotiated with Fidel Castro into the early hours of the morning about the physical integrity of the people concerned. The classification of asylum seekers presented a particular difficulty. Instead of calling them asylum seekers or refugees , it was decided to call them emigrants. Thus, together with the Cuban government, an agreement was reached that made it possible for all those seeking protection to leave the country in the following days. In the following days, around 120 Cuban citizens left the country, plus a further 34 Cuban citizens who had been under diplomatic protection for several months. The Peruvian government agreed to accept 1,000 of the 10,000 asylum seekers. In addition, Spain accepted 500 and Ecuador 300 Cubans.
Another key point of the negotiations concerned the security situation on site, as some of the people seeking protection paved their way to the embassy premises through violence. The Cuban government agreed to provide a more secure location for the Peruvian embassy. Nevertheless, the police guard duty was withdrawn, which was a clear violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations .
aftermath
This incident opened a new chapter in international law and also with regard to peace in Latin America and also prepared the so-called Mariel boat crisis , as a result of which around 125,000 Cubans left the country.
Ernesto Pinto-bazurco Rittler was awarded the Palmer Prize in 2011 for his commitment to defending human rights in Cuba and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2016 .
literature
- Mirtha Ojito: Finding Mañana: A Memoir of a Cuban Exodus . Penguin Books, ISBN 978-1594200410 .
- Comunicado oficial No. 006 - 80 del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores del Perú .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Castro: This is the year of the plagues. In: Der Spiegel , No. 14, Spiegel-Verlag Rudolf, April 14, 1980, accessed on March 7, 2016.