year jail sentence under house arrest, has urged the international community to stop a fresh crackdown on dissidents throughout the Communist island. In an appeal seen by BosNewsLife Saturday, November 13, Juan Carlos Gonzalez Leiva said "several members of the Cuban Foundation of Human Rights", the organization he leads, "were detained" in November along with several other political activists.
They include Lazaro Iglesias Estrada who "only ten days after completing his sentence of three years for disrespect of (Cuban leader) Fidel Castro, has been taken, along with a group of five or six more opposition members, to the Headquarters of State Security", he said. They were fingerprinted, had a check of their sweat, were stripped and threatened."
AMERICAN AMBASSADOR
The 29-year old lawyer, said he was this month prohibited by a local court from traveling to the Cuban capital Havana, where he was invited by United States Ambassador James Cason. "State Security is threatening us for the work that the Cuban Foundation of Human Rights is carrying out," said Gonzales Leiva, who was arrested in March 2002 with nine other activists near a hospital, for drawing attention to the plight of a journalist admitted there, after being attacked by Cuban police.
They reportedly entered the hospital where they prayed for the hospitalized and shouted slogans like "Up with human rights" and "Christ the King lives". Gonzales Leiva was apparently severely beaten by government security agents and suffered a blow to the head.
EUROPEAN UNION
"It is very important that the European Union, the Spanish Government of Mr. Zapatero, and the international community firmly focus their attention n Cuba," said Gonzales Leiva, who has expressed concerns about attempts to normalize relations with the Communist island.
"There is no democratic change in Cuba. There is an absolute lack of movement and the repression and hateful personality of the government is more and more severe. There is no intention whatsoever in softening or alleviating the suffering of the prison population and the persecution of the peaceful dissidence movement," he stressed.
News of the new arrests come as another well known dissident, the independent worker Nelson Moline Espino, was transferred to another prison after being more than 60 days in "a punishment cell", dissidents sources said. The worker, who was sentenced to 20 years, was transferred to a unit with common prisoners at the prison Kilo 5 Ð…, his wife explained.
PUNISHMENT CELL
"They had him locked in a punishment cell for over 60 days for refusing to follow military orders and refusing to eat food served in prison, now they take him back with the penal population confined with common prisoners even though he is a political prisoner and was recognized a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International", said Kirenia Guerra Lugo in a statement.
At least about 80 dissidents are now estimated to be held in Communist jails by the government. Castro has refused to recognize the activists as "dissidents" and his regime have described them as "American mercenaries" and "counter revolutionaries."
