UPDATED, July 24, 2010 — Jesús Mustafá was released from prison in July 2010 under a deal between Spain, the Catholic Church and the Castro dictatorship.
The dictatorship could never mete out enough punishment to Jesús Mustafá Felipe. Fidel Castro and his thugs could never deliver enough pain to Mustafá, now 63, a member of the Christian Liberation Movement and an organizer of the Varela Project.
On Jan. 11, 2003, the dictatorship brought to Mustafá's home about 200 people to carry out an "act of repudiation," which included showering his home with paint and feces.
Clashes with police over the harassment, as well as his work with Varela Project eventually lead to Mustafá in February 2003, being arrested and sentenced to 18 months in prison.
It was a sign of worse to come, for Mustafá and for Cuba.
A month later, the dictatorship unleashed its "black spring" crackdown against journalists, librarians, democracy activists and other dissidents. Many of those arrested were, like Mustafá, organizers of the Varela Project.
Mustafá was tried again on charges of being a traitor, convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
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.
Recent Comments