Tribute To Orlando Zapata Leads To Dozens Of Arrests

Tribute To Orlando Zapata Leads To Dozens Of Arrests / 14ymedio
Posted on February 22, 2016

14ymedio, Havana, 21 February 2016 — The events organized on Sunday to
remember the late activist Orlando Zapata Tamayo resulted in dozens of
opposition members arrested throughout the country. Several civil
society organizations had also called for a tribute to honor the four
Brothers to the Rescue pilots on the twentieth anniversary of their
death at the hands of the Cuban Air Force.

Zapata Tamayo died on 23 February 2010 after a prolonged hunger strike
to protest his prison conditions. The death of the dissident led to a
wave of indignation in Cuban civil society and strong pronouncements
from international bodies devoted to respect for human rights.

The Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) confirmed to this newspaper the
arrests of 134 of its members. The arrests occurred when opponents tried
to "reach Catholic Churches to attend mass, from Guantanamo to Camaguey,
as part of the actions within the We All March Campaign," according to a
statement from UNPACU.

In Havana about 37 Ladies in White managed to walk down 5th Avenue,
supported by 34 activists. At least seven women were prevented from
reaching the place, in the west of Havana.

"Fifty members of the Interior Ministry, some dressed in olive green
uniforms and others in police uniforms, overpowered the protesters at
the scene," the blogger Agustín López Canino told 14ymedio at the
scene. In his report, the activist added that those arrested were being
put into "paddy wagons and taken to detention centers."

Also present were "civilians" of the rapid response brigades who shouted
pro-government slogans against the dissidents.

Source: Tribute To Orlando Zapata Leads To Dozens Of Arrests / 14ymedio
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