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U.S. Department of State Office of the Spokesman Press Statement

Press Statement by James B. Foley, Deputy Spokesman
March 2, 1999

Trial of Dissident Working Group Leaders in Cuba

After imprisoning the four leaders of the Dissident Working Group for 19 months, the Cuban government yesterday finally conducted a "trial."

The four--Martha Beatriz Roque, Vladimiro Roca, Felix Bonne, and Rene Gomez Manzano-–have been held in cells with common criminals, denied adequate medical care, and denied their fundamental rights.

It is simply an affront to the most elemental concept of due process that the Cuban government went to extraordinary lengths to avoid public scrutiny of its justice system. It barred the foreign media and diplomatic representatives from the trial, and it detained dozens of dissidents to prevent a public show of support for the four outside the courthouse.

We strongly condemn the Cuban government’s treatment of these four courageous individuals, and we call for their immediate release.

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