From Tribune News Services.
Chicago Tribune. February 25,
2001.
HAVANA, CUBA -- Cuba's government has rounded up at least two dozen
opposition activists in the past two days, mainly to prevent protests around the
anniversary of the 1996 shootdown of Cuban exile pilots, dissidents said
Saturday.
The detentions apparently were to be temporary in keeping with Cuban state
security's recent preferred tactic to keep in check a small internal dissident
movement. Dissident spokesmen said they expected that the dissidents would be
released soon.
The dissidents had scheduled activities, including tossing flowers into the
sea, to mark Cuba's Feb. 24, 1996, shootdown of two private U.S. planes, killing
four exile pilots.
Cuba says the Miami-based Brothers to the Rescue group provoked it into an
act of self-defense by repeatedly violating Cuban airspace in flights from
Florida. But the United States said the Cessna planes were over international
waters when they were downed.
Dissident spokesmen said at least 20 people were detained Friday and another
eight early Saturday, with about 18 of those still being held by midday
Saturday. | 