Mexico: Harassment of individuals of Cuban background by Cuban state agents; whether such agents operate in Mexico with the consent of Mexican authorities; state protection available to Cubans who have been harassed or threatened by agents of the Cuban state
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 27 January 2004 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | MEX42402.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Mexico: Harassment of individuals of Cuban background by Cuban state agents; whether such agents operate in Mexico with the consent of Mexican authorities; state protection available to Cubans who have been harassed or threatened by agents of the Cuban state , 27 January 2004, MEX42402.E , available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/403dd2064.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
No reports of harassment of individuals of Cuban background by Cuban state agents could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, according to the Los Angeles Times, the Cuban intelligence service has "staked out Mexico as a central espionage battleground with the CIA [Central Intelligence Agency]" (14 Oct. 1997).
Furthermore, intelligence work carried out in Mexico between 1978 and 1992 by Cuban diplomat Pedro Riera Escalante allegedly included the recruitment of double agents and the monitoring of CIA activities (Miami Herald 9 Oct. 2000). According to Riera, who reportedly served first as head of the Mexico group of the Directorate General of Intelligence's (Dirección General de Inteligencia, DGI) Section Q-14 and later as a "spy under the cover of consul" (ibid.), the Cuban intelligence service had recruited as many as 150 Mexican informants, including leftists, business people, politicians, journalists and members of state security agencies, between 1995 and 2000 (ibid.; La Jornada 19 Oct. 2000; ibid. 2 June 2001). Riera was sentenced to six years imprisonment in 2001 following an unsuccessful bid to obtain asylum in Mexico the previous year (ibid.).
Cuba's involvement in espionage activities was denied by Mario Rodríguez, Cuba's ambassador to Mexico (Miami Herald 9 Oct. 2000), and in October 2000 the director of the Mexican intelligence service was cited as saying that, to his knowledge, Cuba was not engaged in such activities in Mexico (La Jornada 10 Oct. 2000).
No information on whether Cuban state agents operate with the consent of Mexican authorities could be found among the sources consulted. However, under the terms of a protocol signed by the Ministry of Interrior (Secretaría de Gobernación), the Ministry of External Affairs (Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores, SRE) and the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic (Procuraduría General de la República), foreign state agents wishing to operate in Mexico must seek SRE accreditation and their work should remain limited to activities related to the exchange of information with Mexican authorities (Mexico 3 July 1992). Such agents are also expressly forbidden from performing, or inducing others to perform, detentions, abductions, surveillance, break and enter and any other act that violates the country's laws (ibid.).
No information on state protection available to Cubans who are harassed or threatened by agents of the Cuban state could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
La Jornada [Mexico City]. 2 June 2001. "Demandará al gobierno mexicano el ex cónsul cubano Riera Escalante."
_____. 19 October 2000. David Aponte. "Riera Escalante pidió asilo a EU."
_____. 10 October 2000. Alonso Urrutia. "Actuación legal de México al expulsar al cubano Riera."
Los Angeles Times. 14 October 1997. James Risen. "Once Again, Ex-agent Philip Agee Eludes CIA's Grasp."
Mexico. 3 July 1992. Secretaría de Gobernación. "Acuerdo de las Secretarías de Gobernación, de Relaciones Exteriores y de la Procuraduría General de la República, en el ámbito de sus respectivas competencias, que establece las normas que regulan la estancia temporal de los agentes representantes de entidades de gobiernos extranjeros que, en su país, tienen a su cargo funciones de policía, de inspección o vigilancia de la aplicación de leyes y reglamentos así como técnicos especializados."
Miami Herald. 9 October 2000. "'We Don't Spy,' Cuban Envoy in Mexico Says."
Additional Sources Consulted
IRB databases
Internet sites, including:
La Crónica de Hoy [Mexico City]
CubaNet
El Heraldo de México [Mexico City]
La Jornada [Mexico City] 2002-2003
World News Connection (WNC)