Son of Cuban comandante wrote to his secret police watcher

Posted on Friday, 05.29.09
Son of Cuban comandante wrote to his secret police watcher
Miami Herald Staff

The son of Cuban comandante Juan Almeida, accused of trying to leave the
island illegally, has made public a letter he wrote to his main secret
police watcher, accusing the officer of harassing him constantly.

Juan Juan Almeida's letter to ''Loisi'' also jokingly urges the secret
police agents he says follow him regularly to perform their work more
efficiently. ''I don't want to be aware of them,'' he wrote.

The letter was one of several Almeida wrote as part of his effort to win
legal permission to leave the island. One went to Cuban leader Raúl
Castro, and another to Granma, the Communist Party's newspaper.

They were obtained and published, in Spanish, by El Nuevo Herald. The
translation of the letter to ''My dear Loisi'' was done by The Miami
Herald. Loisi's full name is not known.

The senior Almeida is one of the ''historical'' comandantes, a member of
Fidel Castro's July 26 Movement from its birth who held several top
government posts over the past 50 years. He remains part of Cuba's
senior leadership, though he's currently believed to play only a largely
symbolic role in the government.

The son, 44, claims to have a degenerative rheumatoid disease that
requires treatment abroad. He was detained May 6 while he traveled in a
bus to eastern Granma province. He was freed May 13, after being
arraigned on charges of illegal departure from the island.

Son of Cuban comandante wrote to his secret police watcher - Cuba News -
MiamiHerald.com (30 May 2009)

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/cuba/more/story/1071717.html