MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

EP president condemns arrest of Cuban political prisoners’ women relatives

Women in White mobbed by Castro regime followers in Havana

The president of the European Parliament has sharply condemned Cuba for arresting a group of women, all of them relatives of political prisoners, who were demonstrating in Havana on Wednesday.

Jerzy Buzek called on the Cuban government to stop harassing the peaceful protesters and urged Havana to release all political protesters, including the journalist Guillermo Fariñas, who went on hunger strike three weeks ago.

Fariñas started his hunger strike to protest against the death of Orlando Zapata, a dissident who died in prison in February after an 80-day fast. The journalist hopes his hunger strike will also secure the release of 26 dissidents who are in need of medical treatment.

The United States has also condemned Havana; a state department spokesperson said Washington was, “dismayed that a peaceful march was disrupted by the Cuban authorities”.

Cuban police arrested 30 of the women taking part in the protest, which was organised by the movement Women In White and led by Mr Zapata's mother. More than 300 supporters of the Cuban government jeered the women and tried to stop the march.

Eventually, female police officers arrested the women and put them on two coaches and took them to an unknown destination.

Women In White has been holding demonstrations since early this week to mark the arrest of 75 dissidents seven years ago. Fifty of the dissidents are still in jail. Human rights organisation Amnesty International has demanded the immediate release of all Cuban political prisoners.