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Arrest Concerns
The press in even usually leftist Uruguay is reporting concern about the fate of the Cuban freedom seekers arrested this past weekend. The Merco Press reports "The Gag Law" may be used against at least three of them - with sentences as long as 20-years. Special Law 88, approved in 1999, was used for the first time against most of the 75 opposition members sentenced to prison terms of up to 28 years in spring 2003, the largest wave of repression against dissidents by the regime of President Fidel Castro. The Cuban Committee for Human Rights announced Wednesday that the police had told relatives of dissidents Rene Gomez Manzano, Oscar Mario Gonzalez and Julio Cesar Lopez - all of whom were arrested on July 22 - that the three would be prosecuted under the "Law for Protection of the National Independence and Economy of Cuba," as the measure's full title reads. Elizardo Sanchez of The Committee For Human Rights says the threat of the Gag Law represents "unexpected toughening" of the government's stance. Update - The Real Cuba has more, plus photos of fidel's new toy - a luxurious jetliner.
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