A Couple in Cuba

A Couple in Cuba
By Jay Nordlinger
June 16, 2014 7:47 PM

In two recent columns — published Wednesday and today — I have written
about Antúnez, the Cuban democracy leader. (He is known by just the one
name.) He has spearheaded a petition urging the United States not to
drop sanctions against the Cuban dictatorship. It has been signed by
more than 800 of his fellow Cuban democrats. This is remarkable in light
of the fact that an expression of support for sanctions is punishable by
up to 15 years in prison.

Today's column includes the following information: On Friday, Antúnez
and his wife, Yris, were arrested, as they have been repeatedly over
many years. Once more, they were brutalized. It seems I have been
writing about them, and the beatings they endure, forever. They refuse
to die, and they refuse to quit. On Friday, Antúnez was strangled and
lost consciousness twice. He was also injected with an unknown
substance. (This is a common practice against dissidents.) Before they
released him, state security warned Antúnez that he was at greater risk
than ever.

I type this blogpost now simply to say that, today, Antúnez and Yris
were again arrested. They will be tried (in the usual Castroite
fashion). People who care about freedom, human rights, and simple
decency ought to keep an eye on them, and their fellows. An expression
of concern from the White House would be especially helpful. People in
free countries have an obligation to people in unfree countries. Most
often, they cannot speak for themselves.

Source: A Couple in Cuba | National Review Online -
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/380542/couple-cuba-jay-nordlinger