Wives of political prisoners demand Cuba release their husbands

Wives of political prisoners demand Cuba release their husbands
The Associated Press

Havana, Cuba - About two dozen women marched in Havana Friday to demand
the release of their husbands and other political prisoners ahead of the
fifth anniversary of a crackdown on dissent.

Of the 75 government critics arrested March 18-19, 2003, and given long
prison terms, 55 remain imprisoned. Sixteen were released early on
medical parole and another four were freed into forced exile in Spain
last month.

Next week's anniversary ``is very painful for us,'' said Laura Pollan of
the Ladies in White, a support group for wives of political prisoners.
Pollan's husband, Hector Maseda, was arrested and sentenced to 20 years.

Cuba accused the independent journalists, rights activists and other
opposition members of being U.S. mercenaries working to undermine the
communist government. The dissidents and American officials reject that
charge.

Cuba currently holds 234 prisoners of conscience, according to a report
early this year by the Havana-based Cuban Commission for Human Rights
and National Reconciliation.

That's down from 246 last June --continuing a decline since Raul Castro
took over provisionally for his ailing brother Fidel in July 2006, when
it listed 316.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/cuba/sfl-0315cubadamas,0,6120326.story