Egberto Escobedo Morales, Political Prisoner of the Week, Sept. 2, 2007

During a conversation with a colleague last week, the topic turned to Cuba, and the wisdom of whether the United States should lift the remaining restrictions on trade with, and travel to, the island. Soon, I was in myth-busting mode, noting how unrestricted trade with the rest of the world has not made Cuba free nor regular Cubans free; and that if he somehow made it to the island for a vacation, he'd likely not see any Cubans on the beaches.

And perhaps most importantly, I reminded my co-worker that despite all the legends, Fidel and Raul Castro, and their executioner Ché Guevara are nothing but pieces of shit.

I kept my cool, but more than once I had to remind myself that despite having the facts and reason on my side, this is an emotional issue for me. No apologies for that.

In stating my case, I again realized that among the many non-negotiable items for me when it comes to Cuba, is that Castro's gulag holds some 300 political prisoners, or prisoners of conscience, jailed because of their belief in freedom, and their willingness to put such faith into action in the face of tyranny. I don't know how anyone can agree to be a "little bit free," so until every political prisoner is out of prison, accommodation with the dictatorship is never possible.

Except for the dictator and his cronies, no one in Cuba has liberty. But that there are political prisoners is one of the facts of life in Cuba that reveals the exact, vile nature of the regime.

In 2006, several political prisoners — including Egberto Escobedo Morales, this week's Political Prisoner of the Week — released a letter that stated it better.

"Cuba has become an island prison,” the letter says. “All Cubans in the street just have conditional freedom and those of us in prison are in solitary confinement cells.”

Escobedo, a member of the National Council for a Democratic Transition, was arrested in July 1995, and convicted of "espionage" and "enemy propaganda," which the dictatorship has used to brand its opponents. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Like other political prisoners, Escobedo, now 40, has tried from jail to be a role model for his fellow inmates — "all Cubans in the street."

In a birthday card to his mother, Escobedo wrote:

“Do not allow our situation to be a reason for pity or grief, on the contrary it should inspire the fight for something as dignified as the freedom, which we are all searching for, which we all need and wish this dream to be a reality.”

With freedom warriors like Egberton Escobedo leading the way, deciding on which side to stand is easy.

One of the surest indicators of the repressive nature of the Castro regime is the jailing of more than 300 political prisoners. To illustrate that reality, Uncommon Sense each week profiles one prisoner. There also is a Political Prisoner archive on the left sidebar. To suggest a prisoner for a profile, send me an e-mail.

For profiles of imprisoned Cuban journalists and related information, read the March 18 Project.