Iran and Cuba, two of the most repressive countries for journalists, says CPJ

[naaman fletcher]

Arroyo Carmona said leaving Cuba was very difficult, but he had few options. After seeing his health worsen—he was diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension, and pulmonary emphysema while serving his prison term in unsanitary and inhumane conditions—Arroyo Carmona felt compelled to take the government's offer of freedom in exchange for leaving the country. “What I was mostly concerned with was my wife's health and my own health, so I decided to leave,” he said.

The Cuban government agreed to release Arroyo Carmona and more than 50 other political prisoners, including numerous journalists, as part of a July 2010 deal brokered by the Catholic Church and the Spanish government. But Havana imposed a high price on most detainees: They would have to leave Cuba for Spain immediately. As was the case with other freed detainees and their loved ones, Arroyo Carmona and his family had little opportunity to prepare for leaving home.

“They had been given two hours to pack up our belongings and say good-bye before they were taken to Havana,” Arroyo Carmona said of the six family members who left behind nearly everything to accompany him into exile. The family stayed briefly in a military compound before being flown to Spain on September 7, 2010.

http://en.mercopress.com/2011/06/20/iran-and-cuba-two-of-the-most-repressive-countries-for-journalists-says-cpj

[joshcryer]

1. Rec'd to 0.

Welcome to censorship!