Whatever their choice, former Cuban political prisoners are heroes

I do not begrudge the choice of those Cuban political prisoners who in exchange for their release from the Castro gulag have agreed to take exile in Spain. The diplomatic and other circumstances of their arrival in Spain may not be optimal, but what matters most now is that they are free of their torturers in the Cuban dictatorship. That is no small victory, and it should be celebrated, if only to the extent that they have been reunited with their families and given a chance to testify to what they have suffered.

Plus, who of us 90 miles from Cuba but millions of miles from the gulag, knows what we would do if we were in their place?

The most disappointing aspect of the recent releases, however, is that as more time passes, we are learning about the fine print, details that highlight conditions of the former prisoners' freedom and diminish what should be joy at their releases.

For instance, this evening it was reported that the United States government — left largely a bystander by the diplomatic maneuverings by Spain, the Catholic Church and the Castro dictatorship — has advised relatives of political prisoners still in Cuba that if they agree to take exile in Spain, it will be more difficult for them to subsequently win permission to move to the United States.

Logically, I guess that makes sense, since a move to Spain would remove the sense of urgency that would give a political refugee a spot at the front of the line to enter the U.S.

But imagine the choice that leaves prisoners having to make.

Get out of jail and move to Spain, which with all the faults of its government notwithstanding, is a democratic country where the people speak your language.

Or refuse that deal and stay in prison with the hope that at some point, it will be easier for you to enter the United States.

Neither choice, of course, is the best course.

That remains the unconditional release of all political prisoners, giving them the freedom to live wherever they want.

Spain.

The United States.

Or if they so choose, their Cuba.

I don't know know what I would do, but thankfully, it is not my choice to make.

Those who do have that choice to make deserve our respect and our love.