By IANS
Washington : Four US citizens of Cuban origin have filed a lawsuit in Vermont against the US government’s restriction on travel to the communist-ruled island, arguing it violates their civil rights, EFE news agency reported Friday.
Prior to 2004, the Cuban-Americans were allowed to travel to the island country to visit their relatives annually without having to wait for the government’s nod.
However, President George W. Bush toughened the rules in 2004, restricting their trips to just once in three years. Only immediate family members are allowed to travel.
Jared Carter and Yurisleidis Mora filed the lawsuit after the newly-weds were denied permission to travel to Cuba, where they had hoped to have a second wedding ceremony.
“The Supreme Court in numerous cases upheld the right to family privacy and familial relations,” said Carter, a law student, who is representing himself in the case.
Also joining in the lawsuit were Armando Vilaseca and Maricel Keniston, who were denied permission to visit their relatives in that country.
Vilaseca, a Cuban-American who has been living in the US since 1963, wants to visit his terminally ill relative. “This particular rule is unfair,” he said.