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Article: Cuba seeks life sentences for at least 12 dissidents arrested in crackdown
- Article from:
- AP Worldstream
- Article date:
- April 3, 2003
- Author:
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Dateline: HAVANA
The first wave of dissidents rounded up in a nationwide crackdown
went on trial Thursday as Fidel Castro's government moved to wipe
out growing opposition, recommending life sentences for at least 12
of 80 defendants.
International media and foreign diplomats were excluded from the trials,
the final phase of Cuba's harshest campaign against internal dissent
in years. The prosecution of all 80 was scheduled to be wrapped up
within days.
"This is a judicial Tiananmen," said opposition member Manuel Cuesta
Morua, referring to the 1989 Chinese military assault on pro-democracy
student protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.
The recommended ...