|
CUBAN
DETAINEES DEPART
14th
March 2006
It
is announced for public information that two individuals who are
citizens of
Cuba
who were detained in The Bahamas for illegally entering the country have
been escorted out of The Bahamas accompanied by two Bahamian Immigration
Officers. Dr. Marialys
Daris Mesa and Dr. David Aquino Gonzalez Mejais departed The Bahamas
this morning at 8 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.
The
Department of Immigration of The Bahamas and the United Nations High
Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) had earlier both advised that neither
individual could establish a credible claim of a well grounded fear of
persecution in their home country,
Cuba
. This meant that they did
not qualify to be political refugees in The Bahamas.
However, UNHCR did further advise that they would not object to a
humanitarian gesture of paroling the individuals out to allow them to
join their families in circumstances where such a request was made by
the two individuals.
The
request was made to the Government to allow them to join their families
who are believed to be resident in the
United States
. This matter also
attracted intense public international scrutiny.
It required mature consideration by all of the countries involved
in this matter.
As
a result of intense consultations at the highest levels of the
Government of The Bahamas, a decision was made to allow this exception
in favour of the two individuals.
The
Bahamas
concluded this matter with humanitarian consideration and within the
proper context of responsible international relations, while protecting
the integrity of the country. This
was a deliberate and painstaking process, necessarily conducted over an
extended period.
The
two individuals landed in
Jamaica
this morning, and have now left
Jamaica
for the
United States
.
--
END --
Cabinet
Office
Tuesday
14th March, 2006
|
