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NEWS
US tells Cuba to
halt repression on 4th anniversary of crackdown
Tue Mar 20, 5:54 PM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States called on Cuba Tuesday to stop
repression and to free political prisoners, four years after Havana
rounded up and jailed 75 political dissidents.
Cuba is the only one-party communist regime in the Americas.
"In March 2003, the regime arrested members of Cuba's independent civil
society, rounding up 75 independent thinkers, journalists, librarians,
and academics," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack in a
statement.
"These individuals were sentenced to as many as 25 years in prison for
carrying out activities that citizens living in democracies across the
globe participate in every day.
"Four years later, 59 of the original 75 remain behind bars. Those who
have been released know that it is 'conditional' and live with the
constant threat of being sent back to jail. They also know, as all
Cubans do, that repression is on the rise," McCormack said.
"Cuba's future will be decided by the Cuban people. For this process to
begin, it is time for Cuban authorities to stop the cycle of repression,
to end the practice of holding political prisoners, and to release all
political prisoners to their homes and families in Cuba," he said.
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