Catholic church knocks abuse of Cuban dissidents
By PAUL HAVEN
Associated Press
HAVANA -- The Roman Catholic Church denounced acts of abuse by
pro-government crowds against a prominent Cuban opposition group, adding
Monday that the government of President Raul Castro has assured it that
officials were not behind the violence.
The statement by Orlando Marquez, a spokesman for the Havana
archdiocese, follows complaints by the Ladies in White opposition group
that members have suffered harassment and rough treatment in recent
weeks, including detentions during a protest in the eastern city of
Santiago de Cuba.
"Violence of any type against defenseless people has no justification,"
Marquez wrote in a statement sent to foreign journalists. "The Cuban
government ... has communicated to the Church that no order to assault
these people came from any national decision center."
Cuban officials insist that the counter-protests at the Ladies' marches
are spontaneous, though state security officials are normally present.
The Ladies in White, the wives and mothers of former political prisoners
arrested in a 2003 crackdown on dissent, have held weekly marches in the
capital Havana for years.
The last of the dissidents arrested in 2003 were released earlier this
year under a deal between Raul Castro and Havana Cardinal Jaime Ortega.
But the Ladies have continued their activities, saying they want freedom
for about five dozen other prisoners in jail for what they say are
political reasons.
Cuba's government says that many of those still behind bars were
convicted of violent crimes like hijacking and assault.
It considers the dissidents to be mercenaries and common criminals paid
by Washington to destabilize the government. State media has launched a
campaign to discredit Ladies in White leaders with secret footage that
purports to show them discussing money with U.S. officials and phoning
in false information to exile television and radio stations.
The church issued what appeared to be a call to both sides to find
common ground.
"The Church at this moment, as in all circumstances, is pursuing the
good of the Cuban people, reconciliation and peace through acts and
gestures that favor the serene development that Cuba needs," Marquez
wrote. "Anything that ... could hurt peaceful existence and harm the
good of the nation will never receive any support from those with a
Christian view of the world."
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