HAVANA, January 8 (Ricardo González Alfonso) - A dissident group
distributed inexpensive toys to children on the streets of Havana on Saturday,
in spite of its leader’s arrest the evening before.
Members of the Civic January 6th Movement distributed the toys in an effort
to revive the celebration of the day of the three Wise Kings, one of the most
important holidays on the Cuban calendar before the 1959 Revolution.
The group’s leader, Bárbaro Antonio Vela Crego, was arrested by
agents of the Department of State Security Friday evening and held for six
hours. While under arrest, the agents threatened to charge Vela with "inciting
to delinquency," arguing that Vela subtly influences some sectors of the
population.
Last year, journalist Víctor Rolando Arroyo was arrested for
participating in a similar toy distribution scheme. Arroyo was sentenced to six
months in jail on trumped-up charges of hoarding.
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