Military Units to Aid Production
Cuban concentration camps in 1965–1968 / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Military Units to Aid Production or UMAPs (Unidades Militares de Ayuda a la Producción) were agricultural forced labor camps operated by the Cuban government from November 1965 to July 1968 in the province of Camagüey.[1] The UMAP camps served as a form of forced labor for Cubans who could not serve in the military due to being conscientious objectors, Christians and other religious people, LGBT, or political enemies of Fidel Castro or his communist revolution. The language used in the title can be misleading, as pointed out by historian Abel Sierra Madero, "The hybrid structure of work camps' military units served to camouflage the true objectives of the recruitment effort and to distance the UMAPs from the legacy of forced labor."[2]
Military Units to Aid Production | |
---|---|
Forced labor camps | |
Known for | Forced labor and torture for ideological opponents and LGBT people |
Location | Camagüey Province, Cuba |
Built by | Republic of Cuba |
Operated by | Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces |
Original use | Penal labor, concentration camps |
Operational | November 1965 - July 1968 |
Inmates | Conscientious objectors, dissidents, democrats, LGBT people, religious followers |
Number of inmates |
|
Killed | At least 252 |
Notable inmates | Jaime Lucas Ortega y Alamino Pablo Milanés Héctor Santiago |
Notable books | Before Night Falls |
Many of the inmates were gay men, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-day Adventists, Catholic priests and Protestant ministers, intellectuals, farmers who resisted collectivization, as well as anyone else considered "anti-social" or "counter-revolutionary".[1] Former Intelligence Directorate agent Norberto Fuentes estimated that of approximately 35,000 internees, 507 ended up in psychiatric wards, 72 died from torture, and 180 committed suicide.[3] A 1967-human rights report from the Organization of American States found that over 30,000 internees were "forced to work for free in state farms from 10 to 12 hours a day, from sunrise to sunset, seven days per week, poor alimentation with rice and spoiled food, unhealthy water, unclean plates, congested barracks, no electricity, latrines, no showers, inmates are given the same treatment as political prisoners."[4] The report concludes that the UMAP camps’ two objectives were "facilitating free labor for the state" and "punishing young people who refuse to join communist organizations."[4] The Cuban government maintained that the UMAPs were not labor camps, but part of military service.[4]
In a 2010 interview with La Jornada, Fidel Castro admitted in response to a question about the UMAP camps that "Yes, there were moments of great injustice, great injustice!"[5] Historically the Cuban government has presented UMAPs as a mistake, but according to Abel Sierra Madero, this institution has to be understood as part of a project of “social engineering” tailored for political and social control. Sophisticated methodologies were deployed that incorporated judicial, military, educational, medical and psychiatric apparatuses."[6]