Cuba arrests seven dissidents

Cuba arrests seven dissidents
June 21st, 2008 - 1:45 pm

Havana, June 21 (IANS) Cuban authorities have arrested seven opposition
activists a day after the European Union (EU) lifted its 2003 sanctions
it imposed on the country to protest the government's crackdown on
dissidents. The protesters, led by Jorge Luis Garcia Perez, known as
"Antunez", were detained Friday during a demonstration outside an
interior ministry office in Mantazas, east of Havana, opposition
activist Martha Beatriz Roque told Spain's EFE news agency.

The arrests followed Thursday's decision by the 27-member EU to scrap
the political sanctions it imposed on Havana in 2003 after the
government arrested dissidents known as the Group of 75 and initiate a
dialogue with the communist country.

"They were holding a protest for the beating given to the brother of
Iris (Perez, Antunez's wife) in Agüica prison," Roque said. "So far, we
haven't heard any more about them."

Antunez was taken into custody along with his wife and five other
people, Roque said.

She noted that Antunez had been briefly detained on several occasions in
the past few months, most recently May 24, when police broke up a
demonstration he was leading in honour of the late Pedro Luis Boitel, a
government opponent who died in a Cuban prison.

Roque, one of 20 of the Group of 75 who were subsequently released on
medical grounds, told EFE earlier Friday the EU's decision was
unwarranted given that 55 of the original group were still in jail.

The EU foreign ministers Thursday said they were lifting the sanctions
to facilitate a political dialogue that is "reciprocal, unconditional,
non-discriminatory and oriented on achieving results" within the
framework of the "changes begun by President Raul Castro", who replaced
ailing older brother Fidel in February.

The decision to scrap the sanctions will be reviewed in 12 months.

At the urging of the Czech Republic, one of the governments most opposed
to lifting of the sanctions, the text included a "renewed commitment" to
the EU's "common position" that dialogue with the Cuban authorities must
always be accompanied by conversations with the opposition.

The EU also pledged to emphasize to the Cuban government "its point of
view on democracy, universal human rights and fundamental liberties" and
to ask Havana to respect the freedom of expression and information.

EU representatives will likewise press Cuba for "the unconditional
release of all political prisoners, including those who were arrested
and imprisoned in 2003."

Opposition groups say the Cuban government is holding around 225
political prisoners in jail.

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