"To execute these men is itself a human rights violation, and to do it less than two weeks after their alleged crimes shows a flagrant disregard of the right to a defense," said José Miguel Vivanco, executive director of the Americas Division of Human Rights Watch. "The men had summary trials that lacked any semblance of due process, and they were executed immediately after their appeals were denied."

The three men were convicted of hijacking a ferry, the Baragua, on April 2. Some 50 people were aboard the boat when it was seized, but none of them were believed to have been injured during the incident. The hijackers allegedly told the captain to sail the boat to the United States.

When the boat ran out of fuel in the Florida Straits, officers on two Cuban Coast Guard patrol boats convinced the hijackers to let the ferry be towed back to Cuba's Mariel port for refueling. Back in Cuba, the Cuban authorities regained control of the vessel and captured the hijackers.

The executions took place in a context of massive repression. Since March 18, the Cuban government has arrested and tried 75 dissidents, independent journalists, human rights advocates and independent unionists. Defendants received sentences of up to twenty-eight years of imprisonment.

In response to the crackdown, Human Rights Watch called for a vigorous debate on Cuba's human rights record at the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, which is currently meeting in Geneva. The commission will be voting on a resolution on Cuba next week.

"The Commission on Human Rights should condemn the crackdown, including the summary trials of both the dissidents and the accused hijackers," said Vivanco.