Ramón Velázquez Torranso, a Cuban independent journalist, was arrested this week, in an attempt by the dictatorship to halt his moving protest against the regime, according to a story by journalist Tania Maceda Guerra posted at Payo Libre.
Velázquez, a correspondent with the Libertad News Agency, on Dec. 10, International Human Rights Day, began walking across the country to protest human rights conditions on the island. Accompanied by his wife and daughter, Velázquez began his pilgrimage in eastern Cuba, at the shrine of Our Lady of Charity, Cuba's patron saint. Their destination was Havana.
But on Thursday, according to Maceda's story, the family was arrested while in Camagüey. They were transferred to Las Tunas, where they were released Thursday evening but with a warning that they would be imprisoned if they continued their protest.
A few hours later, about 4 a.m. Friday, Velázquez, 46, was re-arrested while waiting with his family for a bus to return them to Camagüey, so they could resume their walk across the country.
The family has not heard from him since, and they have had no luck finding him at area police stations, according to the Payo Libre story.
No word yet on whether veteran marcher and "defender of peace" Cindy Sheehan has taken notice.
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