NDI - Cuba

Sandra Pepera

skincaid — Tue, 14 Apr 2015 18:41:17 +0000

Sandra Pepera is a career diplomat and international development professional. Before joining NDI as its director for Gender, Women and Democracy in 2014, she spent thirteen years as a senior officer at the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), including leading programs in the Caribbean, Rwanda-Burundi and Sudan. Prior to joining DFID, Sandra spent time in British domestic politics; lecturing in political science and international relations at the University of Ghana; and as a political analyst in the Political Affairs Division at the Commonwealth Secretariat. She has a portfolio of skills and experience which include strategy development, political and risk analysis, diplomacy, general management and corporate governance.

Much of Sandra’s career has been spent working in or on transitional economies, focusing on the building of resilient and inclusive institutions. She led work on women and politics at the University of Ghana and in outreach public policy during the period of intense and unstable political transition in the early 1990s. This included participating in a program that supported the ANC Women’s League during South Africa’s transition from apartheid to majority democratic rule in 1993.

Sandra is a member of the Cambridge Sustainability Leaders Network, the Royal Commonwealth Society, the Global Board Ready Women initiative, and the International Advisory Board of the Commonwealth Journal for International Affairs (the Round Table). She holds the Financial Times Diploma for Non-Executive Directors, and serves as a trustee for the pension fund of an intergovernmental organization.

Oswaldo Payá’s Death in Cuba Two Years Ago Still Awaits a Proper Investigation.

dleonard — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 13:30:50 +0000

Source:

The Washington Post

Article Link:

Published Date:

07/21/2014

This week marked the two year anniversary of the death of Oswaldo Payá, a well known Cuban dissident who was committed and dedicated to the democratic cause in Cuba. Payá had been working for more than a decade to bring about a peaceful revolution when he was killed in a car crash on a deserted road in eastern Cuba. Harold Cepero, a young associate, was also killed. A credible investigation of the deaths never occurred and Cuba has silenced any demands for an international probe.

“The values that Mr. Payá fought for in Cuba must not be forgotten. Other dissidents are still struggling, despite crackdowns, beatings, jailings and persecution, and they must not be forsaken.”

Empowering Women for Stronger Political Parties: A Good Practices Guide to Promote Women's Political Participation (Now available in Burmese)

fstovall — Fri, 21 Mar 2014 14:31:07 +0000

Author:

Julie Ballington

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute United Nations Development Programme

Published Date:

10/31/2011

Resource Type:

Manual|Handbook

Language:

Arabic, Burmese, English, French, Russian, Spanish, Urdu

English

Arabic

French

Spanish

Russian

Urdu

Attachment	Size
Read the manual (English)	2.49 MB
Read the manual with case studies (English)	3.45 MB
Read the manual (Arabic)	1.9 MB
Download the poster (Arabic)	1.18 MB
Read the manual (Burmese)	4.59 MB
Read the manual (French)	2.57 MB
Download the poster (French)	670.54 KB
Read the manual (Russian)	2.82 MB
Download the poster (Russian)	256.16 KB
Read the manual (Spanish)	2.59 MB
Download the poster (Spanish)	680.95 KB
Read the manual (Urdu)	3.74 MB
Read the manual with case studies (Albanian)	10.91 MB

Equal Access: How to Include Persons with Disabilities in Elections and Political Processes

dleonard — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 14:59:44 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute, International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

03/06/2014

Resource Type:

Manual|Handbook

Language:

Arabic, English, French, Indonesian, Russian, Spanish, Uzbek

English

Arabic

Spanish

Russian

Attachment	Size
Download the manual in Arabic	2.54 MB
Download the manual in English	3.24 MB
Download the manual in French	2.36 MB
Download the manual in Indonesian	16.34 MB
Download the manual in Russian	2.37 MB
Download the manual in Spanish	16.87 MB
Download the manual in Uzbek	3.85 MB

Increasing Women’s Political Participation Through Effective Training Programs: A Guide to Best Practices and Lessons Learned

fstovall — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 20:08:23 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

10/23/2013

Resource Type:

Training Manual

Language:

Arabic, English, French, Russian, Spanish

English

Arabic

French

Spanish

Russian

Attachment	Size
Download the manual (English)	994.16 KB
Download the manual (français)	1.02 MB
Download the manual (РУС)	1.31 MB
Download the manual (español)	1.08 MB
Download the manual (بالعربية)	787.23 KB

What Cuba Does to Its Own People

dleonard — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:49:51 +0000

Source:

New York Daily News

Article Link:

Published Date:

04/25/2013

In this New York Daily News op-ed, Rosa María Payá, daughter of the late Cuban dissident Oswaldo Payá shares her account of the events surrounding her father’s death. Payá is calling for an international investigation into the car crash that killed her father and the role the Cuban government played. She argues that the public has the right to know the truth about what happened, and that Cuba’s oppression of democratic opposition is getting worse.

“For several years, the Castro regime has been trying to sell a series of minor reforms that, in truth, do not give citizens any of the serious rights that my father and others demanded. Every reform works as one more way to control citizens, rather than as a real tool of empowerment for Cubans or a way to strengthen civil society.”

“I only hope that the international community and people of conscience around the world support my call for truth from the Cuban government and press it for the reforms my father believed were essential. This is urgent. We are running out of time.”

Remarks of Rosa Maria Paya as prepared for delivery on April 9, 2013

dleonard — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:48:09 +0000

Author:

Rosa Maria Paya

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

04/09/2013

Resource Type:

Remarks

Language:

English

“We want to participate in the design of our future,” said Rosa María Payá, daughter of the late Cuban dissident Oswaldo Payá, of Cuba’s struggle for democracy at a panel April 9 sponsored by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and NDI.

The event, Democracy and Human Rights in Cuba: The Legacy of Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas, was part of Payá’s trip to the U.S. to call for an international investigation into the car crash that killed her father, the founder and leader of Cuba’s Christian Liberation Movement. Other participants included Fred Hiatt, editorial page editor at The Washington Post, and Santiago Cantón, director of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights.

During her remarks, Payá noted that the superficial reforms made by the Cuban government have preserved the regime’s power without giving its citizens basic human rights, and that government oppression against opposition has increased. The Payá family believes that the car crash that killed Oswaldo Payá was orchestrated by the Cuban government.

“We are calling for an international investigation because we have the right to know the truth but also because we have to prevent this tragedy from happening again," Payá said.

She urged the international community to support “the Path of the People” in Cuba’s fight for human rights and democracy. “This is a dangerous moment but it is also a moment of hope....it is time for the truth, it is time for democracy. It´s the time of the Liberation.”

English

Attachment	Size
Read Rosa Maria Paya's full remarks.	267.84 KB

Oswaldo Payá’s fight for a democratic Cuba lives on

dleonard — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:35:02 +0000

Source:

The Washington Post

Article Link:

Published Date:

04/09/2013

The Washington Post editorial board writes that the message of the late Cuban dissident Oswaldo Payá that democratic change has not yet come to Cuba lives on, as his daughter Rosa María seeks an international investigation of the car crash that killed him.

“For many Cubans who worked with Mr. Payá, these are dangerous times, as the government continues to repress alternative voices and harass those who demand basic rights. There are signs that some people are shedding their fears, Ms. Payá observed, but it is not because the state has loosened its grip. Ms. Payá and her family have been targets of death threats. ‘We need the international community to pay attention,’ she said, not avert its gaze.”

“For the last few weeks, permitted to travel abroad, Ms. Payá has spoken out courageously in support of her father’s dream of a participatory democracy in Cuba. She has echoed his oft-expressed wish for forgiveness, but Cuba’s future cannot be built on a falsified past or an obliterated truth. The first step is to fully and completely investigate the death of Oswaldo Payá and then to see Cuba toward the new horizon of freedom Mr. Payá envisioned and his daughter so eloquently describes.”

Oswaldo Payá's Daughter: Fatal Car Wreck Was Second Suspicious One in Two Months

dleonard — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:09:25 +0000

Source:

Fox News Latino

Article Link:

Published Date:

04/09/2013

The daughter of Cuban dissident Oswaldo Payá is calling for an international investigation into the car crash that killed her father. She said that two months before the fatal incident, for which the Payá family believes the Cuban government was responsible, someone forced her father’s car into another accident.

“Rosa María Payá said that while Raúl Castro’s new policies on relaxing some travel restrictions for Cuba and for private enterprise have come across to some as an step toward making democratic reforms, repression actually is on the rise.

"‘Our mission is to call for a truly independent investigation,’ [Payá] said, ‘and at the same to call global attention to the way the Cuban government will stop at nothing to silence and mistreat its critics and opponents.’”

Daughter to seek probe into Cuban dissident's death

dleonard — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:29:01 +0000

Source:

Agence France-Presse

Article Link:

Published Date:

04/09/2013

Rosa María Payá recently told an audience at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) that she would ask the Inter-American Human Rights Commission for an investigation of the car crash that killed her father, Cuban dissident Oswaldo Payá. Payá said her family is requesting the investigation "to draw attention to the repression of people in Cuba."

“Payá was one of the Cuban government's most prominent critics, and his death caused an international storm. Several US legislators are supporting the Payá family request for an international investigation, which will be formally presented to the commission on Wednesday.”

Who Will Stand Up for Oswaldo Payá?

dleonard — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 15:19:21 +0000

Source:

The Washington Post

Article Link:

Published Date:

03/17/2013

Two weeks after Ángel Carromero spoke out about his personal account of the car crash that killed Cuban dissident Oswaldo Payá, many governments, including Spain and the U.S., have ignored Carromero’s allegations that the Cuban government caused the car crash, jailed Carromero under inhuman conditions and forced him to publicly give a false account of events. When approached, Spain’s foreign minister claimed to have no evidence to support Carromero’s version, despite evidence like photos of the crash site and SMS messages sent from survivors directly after the crash.

“Perhaps the Spanish foreign minister disrespects Carromero enough to conclude that he is lying in spite of all the indications that he is not. Or perhaps he feels compelled to bow to political considerations: the Spanish government’s cultivation of the Castro regime, its gratitude for the release to Spain of several score Cuban political prisoners, its hopes that four Spaniards in Cuban custody will, like Carromero, be freed. Other Western governments desperately want to believe that Raul Castro is a reformer who is slowly liberalizing Cuba.

“All these calculations assume that the possibility that the regime deliberately targeted and killed Payá is ultimately unworthy of international attention; that impunity for such a crime is a regrettable necessity; or that the case says nothing about the Castros’ real intentions. Were they alive, Andrei Sakharov and Oswaldo Payá would surely disagree.”

An Eyewitness to Oswaldo Payá’s Death Speaks Out

dleonard — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 13:43:08 +0000

Source:

The Washington Post

Article Link:

Published Date:

03/05/2013

The Washington Post editorial board reflects on the story of Ángel Carromero, who was driving the vehicle in which Cuban dissident Oswaldo Payá was killed. Carromero recalls that the controversial crash was caused by a vehicle with government license plates that hit them from behind. However, Carromero says that after the crash, he was detained and forced to deny the Cuban government’s involvement in the crash. He is now back in his home country of Spain and is speaking out about his experience.

“The only proper course of action is to convene an international investigation that can be truly independent and untainted by the Castro regime’s thuggish ways. The legacy of Mr. Payá must be to expose the truth of his death, and to put that truth on display for all to see, especially the people of Cuba, for whom Mr. Payá aspired to nothing less than the right to live free from tyranny.”

Declaration of Global Principles for Nonpartisan Election Observation and Monitoring by Citizen Organizations and Code of Conduct for Nonpartisan Citizen Election Observers and Monitors

fstovall — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 19:06:44 +0000

Publisher:

United Nations

Published Date:

04/03/2012

Resource Type:

Declaration

Language:

Arabic, Bangla, English, French, Mongolian, Romanian Russian, Spanish

English

Arabic

French

Spanish

Romanian

Russian

Attachment	Size
Read the declaration (Arabic)	267.58 KB
Read the declaration (English)	897.79 KB
Read the declaration (Bangla)	8.27 MB
Read the declaration (Burmese)	302.33 KB
Read the declaration (French)	327.02 KB
Read the declaration (Indonesian)	16.61 MB
Read the declaration (Mongolian)	345.97 KB
Read the declaration (Romanian)	275.41 KB
Read the declaration (Russian)	286.22 KB
Read the declaration (Spanish)	326.57 KB
Read the declaration (Urdu)	370.99 KB

The Oswaldo Payá mystery continues

dleonard — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 19:07:01 +0000

Source:

The Washington Post

Article Link:

Published Date:

09/16/2012

In an op-ed for The Washington Post, Deputy Editorial Page Editor Jackson Diehl reflects on the death of Cuban political activist Oswaldo Payá last July, and the circumstances surrounding his controversial death. Diehl describes a recent meeting in Washington, D.C. with representatives of Payá’s Christian Liberation Movement, including Regis Iglesias Ramirez, “an associate of Payá and former political prisoner who says he is determined to expose what he believes was a state-sponsored murder.”

Diehl writes of the events surrounding the car crash that killed Payá and contemplates whether the Cuban government played a role in his death. Payá’s associates, said Diehl, referred to text messages from the day of the accident as well as remarks from the survivors of the crash as evidence of foul play.

According to Diehl, though “the regime has been seeking accommodation with the Catholic Church and Western governments,” Iglesias believes that “Payá… had become an obstacle to Castro’s strategy, labeling the liberalization ‘the fraudulent change’ and organizing support for an alternative platform demanding free elections.”

He concludes that, “as long as the Castros continue to rule Cuba, it probably won’t be possible to determine the truth.”

Oswaldo Payá, A Brave Cuban Who Saw a Bright Future for His Country

fstovall — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 21:10:58 +0000

Source:

Washington Post

Article Link:

Published Date:

07/24/2012

The Washington Post commemorates the life of Cuban political activist Oswaldo Payá, who died July 22 in a car accident in Cuba’s eastern Granma province. Oswaldo Payá will always be remembered as an influential and inspiring figure who “showed people that they did not have to remain silent in Fidel Castro’s prison of crumbling communism.” Payá was best known for the Varela Project, in which Payá and other dissidents obtained 10,000 signatures for a petition “seeking a national referendum to guarantee freedom of expression and association, amnesty for political prisoners and free elections.” Under the Cuban constitution, this number of signatures should have forced the National Assembly to permit a referendum, but, in response, Castro launched a vicious crackdown. While Payá was not arrested, Castro smashed what Payá called “the Cuban Spring.”

Despite the repressions and struggles that he faced, Payá was relentless and was later nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by former Czech President Vaclav Havel. Payá’s contributions to Cuba are invaluable and “while his dreams have yet to be fulfilled, they will be, and when they do, it will be in no small measure because he had the courage to take those first steps. “