UPDATED, Sept. 8, 2010 — Leonel Grave de Peralta was released from prison and took exile in Madrid, under a deal struck by Spain, the Catholic Church and the Castro dictatorship.
Before he was thrown into the Cuban gulag after the "black spring" of 2003, Leonel Grave de Peralta Almenares, now 30, was a multitasking threatto the Castro dictatorship.
An active member of the Christian Liberation Movement, Grave de Peralta collected more than 100 signatures for the pro-democracy Varela Project's petition campaign in the eastern province of Santiago de Cuba.
And as director of the Bartolomé Massó Library, he loaned out more than 700 books, despite limited resources.
Democracy activist.
Independent librarian.
Each role made Grave de Peralta an enemy of the dictator.
Together, they brought him a 20-year prison sentence after a sham trial found him guilty of "activities against the integrity and sovereignty of the state."
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.
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