HAVANA, July 10 (Maité Vázquez González, ANC) – About thirty handicapped of various descriptions participated in a rally protesting government treatment of handicapped street sellers in Havana.

The protest, at the corner of Monte and Águila streets, in central Havana, ended up blocking traffic when about 500 passersby joined the original protesters.

On June 8, officers of the Special Brigades of the National Police harassed a number of handicapped street sellers, beating them; runing them off their spots and confiscating their merchandise, all under the guise of checking their licenses.

The government maintains that many of the peddlers don't have licenses and that they resell black-market merchandise. A number of them were arrested.

"I was interrogated by police for more than an hour, and was held for six hours," said one. According to witnesses, a cameraman from one of the international press agencies was able to film the incident.

Versión original en español

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