Cuba Political Prisoner Population Might Be Rising

Jun 29, 2006 5:59 pm US/Eastern
Cuba Political Prisoner Population Might Be Rising

(CBS4/AP) HAVANA Though recent news reports might show Castro's
government as loosening its repressive grip, a dissident group in the
island reports quite the opposite is happening.

A dissident group monitoring human rights in Cuba said today there are
at least 347 prisoners of conscience on the island and warned that the
jailing of opposition activists is rising.

Aida Valdes Santana of the National Coordinating Group of Prisoners and
Ex-Political Prisoners says the situation is getting worse.

Valdes told a news conference that her group would begin offering
periodic updates on the number of political prisoners.

The Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation is
headed by veteran activist Elizardo Sanchez. He has created a similar
report every six months for many years to track the number of political
prisoners on the island.

His commission's latest report listed 333 political prisoners.

Cuba's communist run government says there are no prisoners of
conscience on the island, only common criminals.

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