Cuba Frees 1 Political Prisoner, Transfers 6 More

[alp227]

Source: Associated Press

Filed at 2:44 p.m. ET

PEDRO BETANCOURT, Cuba (AP) -- Cuba on Saturday freed a political prisoner who is confined to a wheelchair and began transferring six others to jails closer to their homes, part of a deal with the Roman Catholic Church and the most important sign yet that the government may be softening its hardline stance on organized dissent.

Ariel Sigler, one of 75 activists, community organizers and journalists arrested in a sweeping 2003 crackdown, was released in his hometown of Pedro Betancourt in the province of Matanzas.

''I feel a mix of happiness and sadness,'' Sigler told a small group of reporters in the town, about 160 miles (260 kilometers) east of Havana, Cuba's capital.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/06/12/world/AP-CB-Cuba-Dissidents.html

[flamingdem]

1. Time to open up to Cuba. The oil alone is a reason to open channels and work together nt

[Rage for Order]

2. Impossible!

There are no political prisoners in Cuba

*edit to add, from the article in the OP: "Cuba denies it holds any political prisoners and says that those being held are common criminals and mercenaries sent by Washington to destabilize the government."

[davidinalameda]

3. don't say that out loud

the Fidel apologists will attack you

[boppers]

4. "Common criminals", yeah...

..."sent by Washington"...

Which is it? Either they're political, or not.

[provis99]

5. well, Cuba has a hell of a lot fewer political prisoners than us.

With us, I'd say we have around half a million.

[robcon]

6. I think you're making that up, provis99

n/t