Will government have to pay to bury him?

The sad part about this story is that if Mr. Garcia dies (God forbid ) it will be “Barbados fault and lack of human rights”.

I will really like to hear what the Cuban embassy has to say?

God has given individuals the ability to make their own choices.  I guess he’s expressing his.

Doesn’t Amnesty Intl handle such cases?  Don’t we have a local / regional branch that can help this man?  It’s incredible that CUBA is allowed to refuse entry of a person that is born there just because of how long they were away from the country!!! Just incredible. 
I sincerely hope he gets the justice he now deserves considering he has already done his time for his crime. 
And I also hope that our government stops housing drug mules / traffickers in our prisons and deports them immediately back to their homelands.

I have been trying to lose twenty pounds like it seems forever and this man lost 28 pounds in two weeks.  Maybe the tourist board should start marketing
Her Majesty’s Prison at Dodds as the exotic way to lose weight.

I always thought that if no one else, one’s country of birth had to accept you.  Seems like I was wrong.

My name is Elena Trillas and I am Raul Garcia’s sister. As of today, February , 2012 my brother has lost 22 pounds. He is beginning to sound weak and hopeless. To make matters worse the jail as decided to send him to solitary has punishment for his hunger strike. I will no longer be able to speak to him. WHY THE HATRED TOWARDS MY BROTHER??? He paid his debt to society. He is no longer a criminal but an immigration detainee. Why throw him in a maximum prison and punish him because he is fighting for the freedom that he earned. People of Barbados, does it not scare you that the application of laws depend on the individual? I know that my brother is not from Barbados. But despite being in jail for all these years he has done nothing but shed positive light on this country through his art. He has represented the island with an art display in New York. He’s won awards…and all with paintings of BARBADOS. Of your beautiful landscapes and your beautiful people!!! He believed in the system. He believed in Barbados. No one is asking for anything other than what he has earned. WE NEED SOMEONE TO LISTEN!! WE NEED SOMEONE TO HELP US OR HE WILL DIE…

This is from the rehabilitation officer,

“To Whom it may concern:”

“This is to state that I have known Raul Coronell Garcia for over ten years. He was an inmate in the Art and Craft Rehabilitation Program that I conducted as a rehabilitation officer.”

“During that time I had several one to one counseling sessions with him. He accepted his punishment for his antecedents and responded positively to many of the correctional programs put into place.”

“He is an accomplished artist and has won many awards at NIFCA and other Art and Craft Exhibitions. He was among the reliable inmates in the rehabilitation group Mission Rehabilitation that I conducted and managed. The members went through a series of sessions and then then committed themselves to helping and influencing other inmates to opt for a positive approach to life. Raul was outstanding in the project.”

“Of equal importance, he was entrusted to assist and represent the institution at prestigious functions such as Holetown Festival, Bridgetown Market, and the Art Exhibitions of Political Conference . In 2008, having won the NIFCA Gold award, he achieved the privilege of selected invitee to the Prime Minister’s Award Ceremony. Raul Coronell was also among those inmates whose art was sent on display in New York in 2006.”

“A Cuban man, still in jail two years after serving a 15-year sentence for drug trafficking, has gone on a hunger strike to force the Governmnent to free or deport him.”  I must apologize to Mr. Garcia for my earlier insensitive (silly) comments which were made in the absence of the foregoing information.  Under the circumstances of Mr. Garcia having served his time for his actions, I must agree with and support his cause that he should be freed or deported.  If Cuba is unwillingly to accept him and there is no one willing to take him then free him until the Foreign Ministry can resolve the issue.  After all, to be still incarcerated two years after completing his sentence should be considered cruel and inhuman treatment.  Even if he is being held for immigration reasons, two years is more than enough for a disposition of that situation.  If this was a Bajan being held in a foreign jail under the same circumstances I for one would be crying bloody murder.

To those in authority: For goodness sake, please do not let this man die and have that on our consciences. He has paid his dues and done the time for his crimes. Release the man immediately. It probably costs the same to put him in a cheap hotel room or apartment somewhere for a few weeks until we get the issue sorted out. Let us put ourselves in his shoes. Would we want this situation for ourselves or relatives in another country? Absolutely not! By the way, what is the purpose of the Cuban Embassy in Barbados? Send them home if they are not serving a purpose there. Nigel D.

Maybe I am reading this article incorrectly, does it not state that he got a 15 years sentence and only served two? with all respect here is a man who were caught with drugs for distribution where in some other countries give the death sentence, so he is in jail for his crime and in so doing after spending 2 years cries foul and would like to take his life and we are supporting someone who have broken the law; what message are we saying here that it’s cool to be a drug trafficker in this country and that you are above the law.
The refusal of Cuba to allow him in is another story but at the same time if you have given up your status of your country for another that you are holding their passport, or are they not responsible for you? You simply cannot commit a crime in someone’s as serious as that and expect to be release at your given will, you do the crime, and therefore you do the time.

The fact that Barbados refuses to take action about this obvious breach of human rights for this man puts them in the same category as the dictator run nation of Cuba.  If he dies Barbados will regret not having done more with all of the negative press they will receive.

No doubt this man was no saint and I think those that pedel drugs have no respect for others and seek only make money for themselves. But after so much time on jail its irrational to keep him there without cause.

@ Mr. K. King, I dare say that you are reading the story wrong…...the story said that AFTER SERVING HIS 15 YEAR SENTENCE, HE IS STILL IN PRISON 2 YEARS AFTER.  This is just a sad story.

To Elena trillas

I am sorry about your brother’s plight, but with all due respect, it was because of his own actions that have caused him to be in the current situation in which he finds himself.
Barbados did not imprison an innocent man, he is still not free because his own country Cuba has rejected and denied him the right to re-enter the country of his birth.
He has no legal grounds or rights in which to freely walk the streets of Barbados.

Why aren’t you knocking on the doors of all relevant Cuban authorities petitioning and making your voice heard? Why don’t you insist they change their rules and accept him back in Cuba, the very same way you are expecting Barbados to change theirs.
Instead of finding fault with Barbados which was forced to imprisoned your brother in the first place because of his criminal activities.

Have some respect.

Few weeks to sort this out?  When has anybody known the Barbados government to work quickly???  Barbados government usually waits until things hit crisis proportions to act.  Then the government will probably have to pay costs associated with hospital care when he gets sick from not eating.

@Kay-Rani Rosita:
With respect to whether Mr. Garcia has any legal grounds or rights in which to freely walk the streets of Barbados,  it would be interesting to ascertain in what representative capacity was Mr. Garcia’s work featured at these functions.  Was Mr. Garcia’s work featured as being done by a member of our penal institution or was it featured as being done by a Barbadian?  With respect to your suggestion that Ms. Trillas appeal to the relevant Cuban authorities it should be mindful to note that the Cubans in South Florida, where I believe Ms. Trillas resides, and the homeland Cuban authorities aren’t exactly bosom buddies. Barbadians, for the most part, have respect for Cuba and it is in this light that perhaps the Cuban authorities should ease Barbados out of this ticklish situation.

Thanks for the correction Mr.vivij charlie, so now my question is what are we supposed to do when his country refused to allow him entry. We cannot allow him to walk free here, we have laws like any other country; sad for him but this is a choice he made to live a life of crime, and as we can see very clearly crime does not pay.

Barbadian authorities ought to put this man on a flight and send him to Cuba one way or another. That is where he was born, that is where he belongs. If the Cuban Government wants to penalise him further on his arrival, then that is a matter for them. He is now being held illegally (and now serving an illegal life sentence, it seems).  AND IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT? ARE WE SERIOUS? This man should have been out of prison the day his sentence ended and handed over to Immigration Officials. HMP Dodds most certainly should not now be his holding bay. So where is Mr Commissiong et al?  USA would have had him out ever since. This could very well hurt and haunt Barbados.

@ Mr. King that is the 8 million dollar question….and I don’t know the answer.  But I do know this, if it were a Barbadian in such a situation, we would all be bawling bloody murder.  Sad state of affairs here you hear?

I was a bit harsh in my earlier comments elsewhere, regarding this case.  I too thought that it was two years into this man’s 15 years sentence that he started his hunger strike in support of his release.  I apologise for that.  What I do not understand though is why everyone is coming down on Barbados like a ton of bricks.  Is there not a legal process to be followed?  Barbados seems to be the weak link in the chain.  What about Cuba , what about America what about Columbia. He had connections with all of them before he was caught?  Tell them that he is a reformed character.  Now that the case has caught the attention of the public hopefully, the Authorities will work with haste to get him out of Barbados.  I am sure that they do NOT wish to keep him any longer than they have to and would love to say good riddance.