Cuban journalist Guillermo Fariñas on Thursday won the prestigious Sacharov prize, the third time in eight years that Cuban dissidents have won the freedom of speech award given out by the European Parliament.

“I consider any sign of recognition for myself as a recognition for the peaceful opposition and all the people of Cuba,” Fariñas says in an interview with RNW.

The Sacharov prize is awarded to proponents of freedom of speech worldwide.

Fariñas has been on hunger strike this year for 135 days to force the Cuban government to release prisoners who are in poor health. While he has been reasonably successful in his quest, he remains dissatisfied.

“Some out of the 12 dissident prisoners who refuse to leave the country are very ill. We will be satisfied if all 12 of them are allowed to go home. That is our tactical goal. The strategic goal is the modernisation of Cuba,” he said.

No disappearances

Fariñas, a 48-year-old psychologist and journalist, has been put forward for the award by the conservative parties within the European Parliament. Hans van Baalen, European Parliamentarian from the Dutch VVD party, said he was “very happy” with Fariñas’ victory.

“The prize means worldwide attention for one person. Winning the Sacharov prize makes it difficult for a regime to make somebody ‘disappear’, since the person is already publicly known. At the same time, Cuba realises that it is being watched,” Van Baalen said.

This is the third time that a Cuban dissident has won the prize in the past eight years. In 2002 opposition leader Oswaldo Payá was the winner, and in 2005 it was the Women in White, a grouping of political prisoners’ spouses.

Van Baalen further said that European MPs from Spain, Portugal and Italy would make sure that Cuban dissidents won’t be forgotten. “The Cuban dissidents are able to maintain good contact with us. It is possible for them to do that.”

Hunger strike

The prize for a hunger striker does not mean that Europe supports this form of activism, Van Baalen said. “People have to choose themselves in what way they want to fight dictatorship and promote human rights. If Fariñas believes that going on a hunger strike fits into that fight, then we must respect that. But I do not promote this method. I can’t urge other people to take on live-threatening practices.”

Fariñas calls hunger striking “the last option.” “It is preferable to put our physical condition to the test rather than putting the lives of our opponents in danger. This is important. If someone has such deep concerns about the political and social system that suppresses him, and chooses to go on a hunger strike, then obviously this is a last option.”

Havana in 2005 barred the Women in White from going to Strasbourg to receive their EUR 50,000 prize.

European Parliament chairman Jerzy Buzek hopes that Fariñas together with the Women in White will be able to receive the price in person in December, he said on Thursday.