Cuba USA
From the FREEDOM fighting blog Uncommon Sense :
Two Cuban political prisoners will be released, kicked off the island and take exile in Spain as soon as Tuesday, according to Europa Press.
Víctor Arroyo Carmona, accompanied by six family members, and Claro Sánchez Altarriba, traveling with 10 family members are being released and expelled from the island, under terms of a deal struck this summer by Spain, the Catholic Church and the Castro dictatorship. Notably absent from the negotiations were any representatives of the Cuban opposition.
Two other political prisoners, Leonel Grave de Peralta Almenares and Alexis Rodríguez Fernández, were expected to arrive in Spain by the end of the week, according to Europa Press.
Like the other prisoners who have left for Spain this summer, all four have been imprisoned since the "black spring" of 2003.
If all four make it out of Cuba, that would bring to 32 the number of prisoners released under the Spain-church-Castro deal announced in early July.
(Which again raises the question: If the Castro dictatorship was efficient enough to arrest more than 80 dissidents over a 3-day period during the "black spring" crackdown, why does it take so long to release them?)
Of the remaining 20, at least five — and maybe as many as 10 — have rejected the chance to be released if it means they have to leave Cuba.
And while church officials have touted the fact that under the agreement all 52 prisoners will be released, they have yet to sufficiently explain what will happen to those prisoners who refuse to accept exile.
- Lawmakers Meet With Freed Cuban Prisoners
By Erika Bolstad [email protected] Three Cuban dissidents jailed in a 2003 crackdown and imprisoned until their exile last year to Spain, brought their story to Capitol Hill Thursday. The three were sponsored by European Union politicians who...
- Free Oscar Elias Biscet
Please sign the petition! Category: Human RightsRegion: GLOBALTarget: President Barack Obama Web site: http://free-biscet.blogspot.com/ Background (Preamble): Free Oscar Elias Biscet is the petition of The International Campaign of Oscar Elias...
- Oscar's Cuba Update On Dr. Biscet's Potential Release And Oscar's Cuba Screenings In Europe
The Cuban government releases & exiles prisoners of conscience The Catholic Church and the Spanish government have secured the release of some of Cuba's prisoners of conscience (a term defined by Amnesty International as individuals in prison...
- Cuban Dictatorship Releases Paraplegic Dissident
From AFP: HAVANA (AFP) – Cuba on Saturday released a jailed paraplegic political dissident as a result of talks between the Catholic Church and President Raul Castro, a family source said. Ariel Sigler Amaya, 46, had been in prison for more than...
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Thank You EU! From the Irish Examiner.com: EU calls for pressure on Cuba over prisoners The European Parliament today urged EU member states to increase their pressure on Cuba to release all political prisoners.In a resolution, politicians also called...
Cuba USA
"2 more Cuban heroes kicked off island, arrive in Spain (UPDATED)"
From the FREEDOM fighting blog Uncommon Sense :
Two Cuban political prisoners will be released, kicked off the island and take exile in Spain as soon as Tuesday, according to Europa Press.
Víctor Arroyo Carmona, accompanied by six family members, and Claro Sánchez Altarriba, traveling with 10 family members are being released and expelled from the island, under terms of a deal struck this summer by Spain, the Catholic Church and the Castro dictatorship. Notably absent from the negotiations were any representatives of the Cuban opposition.
Two other political prisoners, Leonel Grave de Peralta Almenares and Alexis Rodríguez Fernández, were expected to arrive in Spain by the end of the week, according to Europa Press.
Like the other prisoners who have left for Spain this summer, all four have been imprisoned since the "black spring" of 2003.
If all four make it out of Cuba, that would bring to 32 the number of prisoners released under the Spain-church-Castro deal announced in early July.
(Which again raises the question: If the Castro dictatorship was efficient enough to arrest more than 80 dissidents over a 3-day period during the "black spring" crackdown, why does it take so long to release them?)
Of the remaining 20, at least five — and maybe as many as 10 — have rejected the chance to be released if it means they have to leave Cuba.
And while church officials have touted the fact that under the agreement all 52 prisoners will be released, they have yet to sufficiently explain what will happen to those prisoners who refuse to accept exile.
- Lawmakers Meet With Freed Cuban Prisoners
By Erika Bolstad [email protected] Three Cuban dissidents jailed in a 2003 crackdown and imprisoned until their exile last year to Spain, brought their story to Capitol Hill Thursday. The three were sponsored by European Union politicians who...
- Free Oscar Elias Biscet
Please sign the petition! Category: Human RightsRegion: GLOBALTarget: President Barack Obama Web site: http://free-biscet.blogspot.com/ Background (Preamble): Free Oscar Elias Biscet is the petition of The International Campaign of Oscar Elias...
- Oscar's Cuba Update On Dr. Biscet's Potential Release And Oscar's Cuba Screenings In Europe
The Cuban government releases & exiles prisoners of conscience The Catholic Church and the Spanish government have secured the release of some of Cuba's prisoners of conscience (a term defined by Amnesty International as individuals in prison...
- Cuban Dictatorship Releases Paraplegic Dissident
From AFP: HAVANA (AFP) – Cuba on Saturday released a jailed paraplegic political dissident as a result of talks between the Catholic Church and President Raul Castro, a family source said. Ariel Sigler Amaya, 46, had been in prison for more than...
-
Thank You EU! From the Irish Examiner.com: EU calls for pressure on Cuba over prisoners The European Parliament today urged EU member states to increase their pressure on Cuba to release all political prisoners.In a resolution, politicians also called...