Cuba to transfer political prisoners close to home
By ANNE-MARIE GARCIA
Associated Press Writer
HAVANA -- The Cuban government has agreed to move many of the country's
200 political prisoners to jails closer to their homes, and will give
medical attention to some ailing prisoners, a church official told The
Associated Press on Sunday.
The government's decision comes just days after a rare meeting between
Cuban President Raul Castro and two church leaders, including Cuban
Cardinal Jaime Ortega. After the meeting, Ortega said he was optimistic
that there was willingness on the government's side to compromise.
"The office of religious affairs of the central committee of the Cuban
Communist Party advised the Catholic Church on Friday that as of next
week the political prisoners will be transferred to jails in their place
of origin," Orlando Marquez, a Havana church official, told AP.
It was not clear if all of the political prisoners would be moved, or
how many of those who are ailing will receive treatment.
Marquez also said that a senior church leader, Havana auxiliary bishop
Juan de Dios Hernandez, had visited hunger-striking dissident Guillermo
Farinas in his home in central Cuba on Saturday to tell him of the
government's decision to move the prisoners.
Farinas has refused food for 89 days, though he receives nutrients
through a tube and has appeared strong and alert in recent phone
conversations with the AP.
Another Cuban dissident, Orlando Zapata Tamayo, died Feb. 23 after a
lengthy hunger strike in jail.
Farinas called his hunger strike to protest Zapata Tamayo's death, and
has said since then that his main demand is better treatment for 26
political prisoners said to be in poor health.
He told the AP on Sunday that Hernandez had assured him that some of the
ailing political prisoners would be transferred to hospitals, though he
did not know how many.
Farinas said that "given the show of good faith" on the part of the
government, he would be willing to end his hunger strike if the
government provides church officials with a schedule for the liberation
of the others.
The government had no immediate comment on the supposed concession.
Cuba's communist leaders have long denounced members of the opposition
as common criminals and paid stooges of Washington. As recently as this
month, Cuban officials have denied that the country holds any political
prisoners.
But there have been several signs in recent weeks that Cuban leaders are
taking a more conciliatory approach to the dissidents.
On May 2, the government reversed a decision barring the Ladies in White
- composed of the wives and mothers of jailed dissidents - from holding
their weekly march. The breakthrough followed Ortega's mediation.
The meeting Wednesday between Ortega and Raul Castro was covered
extensively by state-controlled media, and a photo of the men and
another church leader was printed on the front page of the Communist
Party-newspaper Granma.
The day after the meeting, Ortega said no deal had been reached on
prisoner releases, but he called the meeting - which lasted more than
four hours - a "magnificent start."
Another church leader who was at the meeting, Archbishop Dionisio
Garcia, told AP "that there was good will" on the part of the government
on the issue of dissidents.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/05/23/1644268/cuba-to-transfer-political-prisoners.html
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