Cuba frees democracy advocates

The Catholic Church in Cuba announced on March 22 that the Castro regime has released two more imprisoned democracy advocates belonging to the so-called Group of 75. The group had been imprisoned during the so-called Black Spring of 2003 when the Castro government rounded up scores of anti-government activists such as Félix Navarro and José Daniel Ferrer.

Catholic religious authorities and the government of Spain had served as interlocutors in negotiations to liberate the dissidents, many of whom had been sentenced to 25 years in prison for their political activities. Ferrer and Navarro had refused to leave the land of their birth, unlike 40 of their comrades who left Cuba for Spain in 2010.

Twelve opponents of the Castro government, who decided to remain in Cuba, have been released to their homes but have not been exonerated of charges leveled by the Castro government. They run the risk of being jailed again should they return to their political activities. This brings a chapter to a close in what began as the Black Spring when some 75 intellectuals, journalists, human rights activists, and Christians were accused of conspiring against the Cuban government. They were convicted of “counter-revolutionary” activity by the communist government founded by the Castro brothers, Fidel and Raul, 50 years ago.