More Pressure , Some Recognition

In another brave and bold move by dissidents, Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas has asked the Council of Human Rights at the UN to ask Cuba’s communist regime to free all political prisoners.

Payá also urged all non-governmental organizations and all civil societies of members status to the UN’s Council for Human Rights to put pressure on the UN to force the Cuban regime to free all prisoners of conscience that haven’t committed acts of violence against people or property.

Payá is timing his petition to coincide with the year’s last session of the UN’s council of Human Rights which meets in Geneva.

His petition calls for the immediate ceasing of all harassment, detention, processing and jailing of dissidents.

Hardly a day goes by now that we don't get a cominication from dissidents inside Cuba who continue to risk their freedom and lives to put pressure on Cuba's tolitarian regime to democratize society. These brave and defiant acts , however go unreported for the most part. We get alot of stories about Castro's health and the upcoming "mother of all parades" instead.

Today, however, is a different day finally some acknowledgement of the brave acts of civil dissobedience committed everyday by Cubans of every walk of life.

From Today's Herald (maybe Varela should have protested years ago!?!?)

From candlelight vigils to hunger strikes and even a mountain hike, Fidel Castro opponents logged more than 3,300 acts of civil disobedience in Cuba last year, nearly twice the number of the year before, according to a report to be released Thursday.

As Castro's government continues a campaign of reprisals against dissidents that began with a wave of arrests three years ago, members of the opposition movement say more people are speaking up and joining up

.

The central province of Villa Clara appears to be a hotbed of political opposition, logging far more protests than any other province. Even though nearly all of the island's internationally known dissident activists live in Havana, only 11 percent of last year's civil disobedience took place there.

More:

_25 hunger strikes were held by prisoners.

_The Ladies in White, the group of female relatives of the 75 political prisoners picked up in the 2003 sweep, held 182 different protests.

_The 3,322 acts logged in 2005 - including 2,613 vigils - represent an 85 percent increase over the 1,805 acts of civil disobedience in 2004

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