Freedom House calls upon the Cuban government to release all remaining
members of the "Group of 75" political prisoners who were imprisoned
during the Black Spring of 2003.
"The Cuban government should honor the deadline it agreed to earlier in
the year and free all Cuban activists from its prisons," said David
Kramer, executive director of Freedom House. "These activists have been
severely punished for nothing more than expressing their desire for
democratic self-governance."
On July 7, following negotiations with the Cuban Catholic Church and the
Spanish government, the Cuban government announced its decision to
release the remaining 52 political prisoners from the Group of 75 over
the course of four months. Since then, 39 members of the Group of 75
have been released, along with several additional prisoners who were not
part of the Group of 75.
"While we welcome the release of 46 unjustly held political prisoners
over the past four months, we are concerned by reports that 13 members
of the Group of 75 still remain in prison because they refuse to accept
forced exile from the Cuban authorities," continued Kramer. "The Cuban
government should release all political prisoners immediately and
respect their right to remain in, or return to, Cuba."
Freedom House consistently ranks Cuba among the world's worst regimes.
Cuba is ranked Not Free in the 2010 edition of *Freedom in the World*,
Freedom House's annual survey of political rights and civil liberties,
and in the 2010 edition of *Freedom of the Press*. The island nation
received the lowest ranking in *Freedom on the Net*, a study of internet
freedom in 15 countries released in 2009.
For more information on Cuba, visit:
Freedom in the World 2010: Cuba
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=%2FFYnwDzczJ6sJ22Zqz8ufTpYmbLYAqYl
Freedom of the Press 2010: Cuba
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=wfEMiECGWjJa5SCTOwV5F3E9PZjoDkep
Freedom on the Net
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=qp2TIjOU9h45WmYq0GLmiTpYmbLYAqYl
Freedom House is an independent watchdog organization that supports
democratic change, monitors the status of freedom around the world, and
advocates for democracy and human rights."
http://newsblaze.com/story/20101106105344zzzz.nb/topstory.html
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