Rights group asks Brazil to track Cuban boxers

Rights group asks Brazil to track Cuban boxers
Sat 11 Aug 2007, 7:23 GMT

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - A leading global human rights group asked Brazil on Friday to investigate the deportation of two Cuban boxers and to track how the men are treated by the communist government.

Human Rights Watch sent an open letter to Brazil's Justice Minister Tarso Genro asking for a full investigation into the case of champion boxers Guillermo Rigondeaux and Erislandy Lara.

The Cuban athletes disappeared in Rio de Janeiro during the PanAmerican games last month but were later located by police and returned to Cuba.

Brazilian lawmakers have said they plan to investigate why the boxers were returned so quickly instead of being granted political asylum.

But Brazil's Justice Ministry said the athletes contacted the police themselves, did not request asylum, and asked to be sent back to Cuba. The boxers reported a similar version of events to Cuba's official newspaper, Granma, after returning to the island.

"Even if the two athletes did not explicitly ask for political asylum, requests for refugee status can be signaled by actions and not just stated requests," Human Rights Watch said in an open letter signed by executive director Jose Miguel Vivanco.

"The government should sponsor a complete and impartial investigation," Vivanco said.

http://africa.reuters.com/sport/news/usnBAN130221.html
.

Relevant Pages

  • Cuban boxers deported from Brazil
    ... Cuban boxers deported from Brazil ... world champion, arrived in Cuba early Sunday after being deported from ... Pan American Games last month, ...
    (soc.culture.cuba)
  • Cuban boxers applied for visa at German consulate in Brazi
    ... RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil: Two Cuban boxers, who abandoned their national team at the Pan Americans Games last month, applied for visas to enter Germany before they were found and deported back to Cuba, the German consulate said Monday. ...
    (soc.culture.cuba)