Cuban opposition group - 8,900 political arrests in Cuba during 2014

Cuban opposition group: 8,900 political arrests in Cuba during 2014
Published January 05, 2015 EFE

The Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation on
Monday said that Cuban authorities made 8,899 arbitrary arrests for
political reasons during 2014, some 2,500 more than during the previous
year.

According to a report released by the dissident group on Monday, in
December there were 489 arrests, about 100 more than in November.

In December, just on Human Rights Day there were more than 230 arrests,
"some of them with violence," as well as 70 arrests on Dec. 30 at a
"performance" convened by artist Tania Bruguera.

Bruguera intended on that day to set up in the emblematic Plaza of the
Revolution a "public platform" so that Cubans could express their
desires for the country's future after the announcement of the
reestablishment of diplomatic relations with the United States on Dec. 17.

According to figures compiled by the dissident group, Cuban authorities
arrested a total of 59 people on that day as "they attended or tried to
attend" the event to "exercise their right to freedom of expression."

Of the people arrested, some were held by the authorities for up to 72
hours, including Bruguera; independent journalist Reinaldo Escobar;
Antonio Gonzalez Rodiles, the organizer of a critical discussion project
called "Estado de SATS," and so-called "Group of 75" member Angel Moya.

In addition, on that same day, Cuban authorities held 11 other
opposition figures at their homes and prevented them from leaving,
including blogger and independent online newspaper editor Yoani Sanchez.

The Commission, headed by Elizardo Sanchez, also mentioned the "positive
act" of announcing the reestablishment of relations between Havana and
Washington, but it emphasized that "the situation of civil and political
rights" on the island "continues to be the worst in the Western Hemisphere."

EFE

Source: Cuban opposition group: 8,900 political arrests in Cuba during
2014 | Fox News Latino -
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2015/01/05/cuban-opposition-group-800-political-arrests-in-cuba-during-2014/