Assembly Pledges Support for Idependent Libraries

René Gómez Manzano (actualmente en prisión), Martha Beatriz
Roque Cabello y Félix Bonne Carcasés, dirigentes de la Asamblea
para Promover la Sociedad Civil en Cuba.

The Assembly to Promote the Civil Society in Cuba continued today its opposition the Cuban Regime by assuring that it will continue to support the functioning of its independent libraries in spite of their books being confiscated and the harassment of its members by the Cuban authorities.

The public announcement by the group, headed by dissident economist Marta Beatriz Roque Cabello, said that its libraries, since their books have been confiscated , will be converted into Socio-Cultural information centers saying that with or without books, they will remain in the Congress for Democracy.

The organization convened its independent libraries, made up of books banned by the communist regime, in the private homes of Cuban Dissidents, to the First National Congress which began October 10 and runs through February 24.

Those libraries that are still operational consider the lending of books, brochures and magazines to the Cuban people as a right to engage in cultural activity.

The Communist regime has aggressively tried to prevent the free and independent libraries and have harassed, accosted, beaten and jailed those who have tried to participate in this most simple of cultural activities. Independent Cuban librarians Orestes Suárez and his wife Nancy González Garcia were victims of the brutal crackdown. The pictures were taken two weeks after they were beaten by Cuban security agents.