For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 26, 2003
Statement by the Press Secretary
Castro Government Cracks Down On
Pro-Democracy and Human Rights Activists
President Bush condemns the Castro government's intensified repression
of Cuba's growing pro-democracy and human rights activists. Over the
past days, the Cuban government has jailed over 75 of these activists
throughout the country. We call upon the Castro government to release
immediately Marta Beatriz Roque, Rene Gomez Manzano, Felix Bonne, Oscar
Elias Biscet, and all other unjustly imprisoned dissidents. Arrest of
these dissidents comes on the heels of recent personal attacks by the
Cuban government against our diplomats in Havana. As our senior
diplomat in Havana, James Cason, has commented, "Sadly the Cuban
government is afraid, afraid of freedom of conscience, afraid of
freedom of expression, afraid of human rights...."
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