Attorney Andrew Strenio Discusses Team Effort to Release Cuban Doctor from Prison

April 26th, 2011. By BrendaC

Lawyers Giving Back looks at a side of lawyers you don’t hear too much about—the side that gives back…pays it forward..and shares the love. We’ve found quite a number of attorneys who log non-billable hours helping others—simply because they believe it’s the right thing to do. Their stories are inspiring, and hey, who knew lawyers were so…good? If you’ve got a story to share about an attorney who’s doing the right thing, let us know—we’d love to let others know, too. Today, we’re talking with Washington DC attorney Andrew Strenio of Sidley Austin…

Attorney Andrew Strenio: “When you…work with this kind of an individual you don’t begrudge a second that you spend on it”

Had it not been for the efforts of a group of American lawyers, Cuban human rights activist, Dr. Oscar Biscet might have continued to languish in a jail on the outskirts of Havana. But in March 2011, after eight years in prison, Biscet was released. It had taken six years and likely thousands of pro bono hours involving delicate negotiations by a determined and skilled group of lawyers to achieve freedom for Biscet.

Attorney Andrew Strenio of Sidley Austin

“It was just phenomenal news,” says Andrew Strenio from the Sidley Austin firm in Washington DC.

“We were a proud partner in the effort, but it was really a collaborative effort,” says Strenio. “There really were so many people involved including Jeremy Zucker from Hogan Lovells here in DC.” 

Since the 1980s, Biscet, a medical doctor, has been a fearless advocate for basic civil liberties in Cuba. His pro democracy position came with considerable risk to his safety and well-being. 

In 2002, Biscet was arrested, charged and sentenced to 25 years in prison as an enemy of the state. Known and respected internationally for his opposition to the Cuban government, Biscet has been likened to Nelson Mandela, Vaclav Havel and others who have risked their lives in David and Goliath human rights struggles. 

In fact, Biscet was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in February, just weeks before his release from prison. 

If Biscet had been willing to accept exile as the price for freedom he might have been released sooner according to Strenio. “Oscar made it clear he would stay in prison no matter how long it took in order to be able to remain in Cuba, which shows his love of his country,” says Strenio. 

“He was also subjected to horrific conditions during his imprisonment which were certainly barbaric,” says Strenio. “Despite all that, he had this immense personal and moral courage in refusing to accept exile to another country as the price of release.” 

Strenio won’t discuss how the group managed to negotiate Biscet’s release, but it is fair to say they talked to anyone that they believed might have influence with the Cubans. 

“Any attorney knows it is a challenge to achieve a result in your home district and the farther away you go from home the more complicated it becomes,” says Strenio. 

“Dealing with the situation in Cuba is extraordinarily complicated both because of the dictatorial nature of the regime and because of the distance and because of Dr. Biscet’s plight of being imprisoned unjustly for such a long period of time,” he adds. 

How many hours he and other lawyers involved spent working on the Biscet case is impossible to know. 

“It added up to a considerable amount,” says Strenio. “But I don’t think any of us involved in the process stopped to count. When you do this kind of work with this kind of an individual you don’t begrudge a second that you spend working on it. In fact you feel quite honored to be able to help to such a person.” 

Andrew Strenio is a partner in the firm of Sidley Austin. Considered a top-flight full-service international firm, Sidley Austin has 1,600 lawyers working in 17 cities in the US and around the world. Strenio’s practice focuses on domestic and international anti-trust law. He is also a former Federal Trade Commissioner.

Tags: Attorney Andrew Strenio, Cuba, Dr Oscar Biscet, Lawyers Giving Back, Pro Bono, Sidley Austin

This was posted on Tuesday, April 26th, 2011 at 3:46 pm and is filed under Emerging Issues, Lawyers Giving Back . Feel free to respond, or trackback. Read our comments policy.