U.S. worried about hunger-striking Cuban dissidents - State Department

U.S. worried about hunger-striking Cuban dissidents: State Department
July 29, 2016

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is concerned about the physical
well-being of hunger-striking activists in Cuba and is closely watching
their situation, the U.S. State Department said on Friday.

"We stand in solidarity with those who advocate for human rights and
fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression and the right to
peaceful assembly," State Department spokesman John Kirby told a briefing.

"We have raised our concerns directly with the Cuban government, both in
Washington and Havana," he added.

Kirby said Washington was particularly concerned about the health of
dissidents Carlos Amel Oliva, who leads the youth wing of a Cuban
dissident group, and Guillermo Farinas.

Farinas began a hunger strike earlier this month calling, for Raul
Castro's government to end torture and human rights abuses. He was taken
to Arnaldo Milian Castro Hospital in the city of Santa Clara on Thursday
after becoming extremely weak and fainting eight days into the strike,
The Miami Herald reported.

Farinas and about 20 other rights activists are on hunger-strike in Cuba.

(Reporting by Arshad Mohammed; Writing by David Alexander; Editing by
Sandra Maler)

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