SANTIAGO DE CUBA, April 13 (Santiago Santana, APLO) - Cuban political police arrested a Belgian tourist on March 31 for associating with dissidents.
Dirk Van den Broeck, an antiracist militant who defends North African workers in Belgium, has been a candidate in municipal elections for the
"Socialistische Partij," the Flanders Social Democrats.
Van den Broeck was in Cuba on a tourist visa when he met with Cuban dissidents and visited a number of independent libraries. Police confiscated notes and videotapes he had taken and searched his belongings as well as the places where he had stayed.
State Security agents threatened to charge him with collaboration with the enemy, but later released him and he was able to leave Cuba without further incident. The agents told him that tourist visas only allow "tourism and recreation" and that political contacts are forbidden, but
later acknowledged that contacts with official political organizations are appreciated.
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