Witnesses: Cuban dissidents beaten, arrested in church

[robcon]

Source: CNN

Witnesses: Cuban dissidents beaten, arrested in church

HAVANA, Cuba (CNN) -- Cuban state security agents followed anti-government protesters into a Catholic Church this week, detaining about a dozen dissidents after hitting and kicking some of them, according to witnesses.

Some 25 dissidents marched peacefully to a church Tuesday in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba to request a Mass for a dissident arrested earlier in the week, said Elizardo Sanchez, a leading dissident based in Havana. Sanchez said state security officers attacked the protesters when they arrived at the church and many of them ran inside.

"The repressors, headed by a lieutenant colonel and other state security officers, desecrated the church of Santa Teresita after kicking open one of the doors and savagely attacking the peaceful dissidents," he said in a statement. He said officers "punched, kicked and used pepper gas." Five dissidents remain in detention, he added.

The Cuban government did not immediately respond to the accusations. It considers the splintered dissident groups "mercenaries" who receive money from the "enemy government" in Washington to undermine the Cuban revolution.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/12/05/cuba.dissidents/

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The repression isn't new, but the fact that the Cuban government doesn't have a knee-jerk response for the international press is somewhat new.

[Horse with no Name]

1. I believe absolutely NOTHING

that our government reports about Cuba.
And yes, I will repeat myself.
NOTHING.

We have nefarious Black Ops in place all over the world doing nasty deeds to further OUR political agenda. It is not unlikely that that these WERE mercenaries.
That's how low down in esteem our government is.
If another country says we are lying, I can easily believe we are.
George Bush lies to us...not far reaching to believe he lies to everyone else.

[Mudoria]

2. Oh please...

:eyes:

[Horse with no Name]

3. I'm sure YOU believe his version of Iran also

And :eyes: backatcha.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

6. Well, here's what AFP has to say...

...hardly an organ of the American government.


http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iRWA4zdXtxB4iljodgmAVV_KznbA

[CheSolo]

12. Belief?

Im shocked to hear liberals talk this way about a dictatorship. While the philosophy of "The enemy of my enemy (Bush) is my friend" might work for neocons, it should not be used by our camp. While I dont believe what Bush says about Iran either, I also dont simply believe that they are some thriving liberal democracy either. Cuba is a one party system with a long history of oppressive policies. While I dont believe in the embargo, we certainly shouldnt stand up for their current system and ignore any abuses of civil rights just to be contrary to the far right here.

[Judi Lynn]

4. Maybe they should have taken a cue from Bushworld, and claimed there were terrorists in the church,

and blown it to kingdom come. No witnesses. Simply say, "we regret the loss of innocent life in our effort against terrorism."

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

7. No, we only do that in other countries, not our own.

Now, if he'd blown up a church in Miami, that might be a better analogy.

[Judi Lynn]

8. That would be blowing up part of his violent Cuban reactionary base,

the same base which helped shut down the Miami-Dade vote recount, along with the Washington Brooks Brother riot, once the right-wing idiot Cuban hate radio stations put out the word to get their clowns hurtling over to the place in their buses to set up camp. The same hate radio stations which give out names and addresses of their political enemies in Miami for terrorism purposes, death threats, you name it, also called out the troops to shut down the vote, making it impossible to elect the Democratic candidate who actually WON Florida, had the recount been completed.

You probably recall _{George W. Bush} made well over 20 trips to Miami in his first term, all to strut out in front of these imbeciles to make some of his major speeches, when he needed a crowd of gaping, cheering, worshipping idiots to back him up, and also to throw him some money for his next election.

These are the same violent people who are the American contacts for the U.S. financially supported "dissidents" in Cuba. These "dissidents" are cozy with the very same bunch of criminals who slaughter Cuban nationals any chance they get, even getting in their crappy boats and going there to kill them from the water, or to go ashore and murder them there.

Some saintly, martyred, heavily financed professional "dissidents" they've got there in Cuba. They could choose more wholesome friends, as well.

Working to destabilize a government while on the payroll of another country is strictly illegal in this country.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

10. No, I meant a better analogy would be Castro blowing up a church in Miami.

I don't recall Bush blowing up any churches in the states, but he's done a good job of blowing up mosques in other countries on account a' the terra.

[Judi Lynn]

11. Yep. I've seen the video of a soldier shooting an injured Iraqi lying on the floor of the mosque in

his head. Now that's something one doesn't expect to see happening to a man who is trying to protect his homeland from invaders who are there due to a monstrous lie, in service of a power-mad fool and his criminal cabal.

[originalpckelly]

5. Those weren't beatings, those were rough massages.

Fidel is so nice, he gives the opposition massages, but unfortunately he sent out the military to conduct the massages, and they're too rough.

[951-Riverside]

9. Savages

...real police cops skip the beatings and instead electrocute people in compliance. :)