UPDATED, 10:20 a.m. EDT, Sept. 2, 2010 -- From my friend Maria Benjumea in Spain: "My good friend in Madrid Antonio Ballesteros who visited the ex prisoners at the hotel last night- said that only Próspero Gainza & family are expected: 'No place on the plane for the others. " Very strange affair these trips and announcements."
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Six former Cuban political prisoners and their families were expected to arrive in Spain, fresh from their release from the Castro gulag and expulsion from the island.
The former prisoners are:
- Víctor Arroyo
- Alexis Rodríguez
- Leonel Grave de Peralta
- Alfredo Domínguez
- Próspero Gainza
- Claro Sánchez
(To learn more about each man, click on their names on the right sidebar or do a search on the top of the left sidebar.)
The men, and 26 other former prisoners who arrived in Spain earlier this summer, were released under a deal between Spain, the Catholic Church and the Castro dictatorship.
This story offers a bit of insight on the role of the church in these maneuverings, noting that the Cardinal Jaime Ortega is selecting when a particular prisoner will be released based on their health and willingness to accept exile in Spain. (La selección de los prisioneros corre a cargo del arzobispado de la Havana --especialmente en la máxima autoridad católica de la isla, el cardenal Jaime Ortega--, que tiene en consideración factores como la salud de los retenidos o su deseo de viajar a España.)
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