Raudel Martínez Gómez's father set a good example for his son, standing up to the Castro dictatorship. Unfortunately, the son paid a familiar price — a stint in a Cuban prison.
Martínez Gómez, a member of the Plantados Movement for Cuban Freedom, was convicted in February 2006 of the supposed crime of "dangerousness," and sentenced to three years in prison. Details of what did, or didn't do, to get himself into trouble were not available, but it really doesn't matter. The dictatorship has made a habit of charging its opponents with the Orwellian-like crime of "pre-criminal social dangerousness," to get them off the streets
At the time of his son's trial, Raúl Martínez Prieto, had been held in a Cuban prison since July 2005, when he was arrested for participating in anti-government protest outside the French embassy in Havana. (The elder Martínez was released this past May, with formal charges never being filed.)
One of the surest indicators of the repressive nature of the Castro regime is the jailing of political prisoners. To illustrate that reality, Uncommon Sense each week profiles one prisoner. There also is a Political Prisoner archive on the right 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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