South Florida Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board

They did the right thing, but generated so much division and bitterness, again, that it blunts the impact of their decision.

The United Nations Human Rights Commission this week condemned Cuba for unnecessarily and unjustifiably imprisoning 75 dissidents last year. Most of the individuals, who remain in jail, advocated for civil rights, economic reforms and a free press.

A vote castigating Cuba's government for terrible rights abuses by a U.N. human rights body should have been a no-brainer. But this is Cuba we're talking about, and there are no no-brainers when it comes to votes on Cuba at the U.N. commission.

So, the slap at Cuba was approved by a razor-thin, one-vote margin, 22-21. Ten countries abstained.

Washington was accused of strong-arming countries in search of votes. Those siding with Cuba faced criticism they acquiesced to a dictatorship.

After the vote, Cuba rejected the resolution's call for a U.N. rights monitor to visit the island, as Havana has done after losing similar votes in the past. A fistfight between an anti-Castro activist and a member of Cuba's delegation delivered the final blow, literally, on the Cuba hearings in Geneva.

Now Washington and its allies must ask themselves an introspective question: Will the effort in Geneva improve respect for civil rights by Havana?

It's hard to see where winning this Machiavellian wrestling match between diplomats and activists will bring change where it is needed most: inside Cuba. The U.N. has sent a message, but Cubans need actions with tangible benefits, not symbolism.

The imprisonment of the dissidents is deplorable. No person on Earth should ever be detained or intimidated for simply speaking out or seeking the most basic of civil rights.

Regardless of what the U.N. panel members vote, Cuba remains among the worst civil rights abusers. And a reason for the commission's lack of impact is the divisive way these votes conclude.

The United States and its allies need to seek a better way to influence Cuba's government. A place to start is with serious consultations with two hemispheric powers that abstained, Brazil and Argentina.

They, like the rest of the hemisphere, know there is much to gain from bringing a democratic Cuba into the fold. Whether brainstorming will result in a better way remains to be seen.

What's sure is that a day after their advocates won a major round in Geneva, Cuba's political prisoners remain where they shouldn't be -- in jail.
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