Human rights official says Cuban dissidents detained ahead of protest in eastern Cuba

[naaman fletcher]

HAVANA — A leading human rights worker said Friday that authorities have detained two former political prisoners in eastern Cuba, the first arrests involving members of a group of 75 intellectuals and social commentators since they were freed after a 2003 crackdown on dissent.

The detention of Angel Moya and Jose Daniel Ferrer occurred as the men were preparing to march in the town of Palma Soriano, said Elizardo Sanchez, a prominent human rights activist on the island. Moya is the husband of Berta Soler, a leader of the Ladies in White dissident group.

The last of the prisoners from 2003 were freed earlier this year under an agreement between Roman Catholic Cardinal Jaime Ortega and President Raul Castro, but the Ladies in White have kept up their opposition activities.

Sanchez said the detentions occurred a day after a march by the Ladies in White in Santiago at which nearly two dozen people were detained, including another of the group’s leaders, Laura Pollan. But all of those people were quickly released, he said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/americas/human-rights-official-says-cuban-dissidents-detained-ahead-of-protest-in-eastern-cuba/2011/09/09/gIQA1bZRFK_print.html