Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet
Cuban prisoner of conscience Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet, in jail for most of the past 12 years because of his opposition to the Castro dictatorship, has been told this evening that he will be released "within hours" and allowed to stay in Cuba, according to various reports on Twitter and other websites.
When I learned the news via my phone moments ago I was stunned because despite the assurances of Cardinal Jaime Ortega, I was skeptica that Biscet — Cuba's best-known political prisoner — would be included in the ongoing series of releases neogotiated by the church, Spain and the dictatorship. The risk was too great for the regime, especially if Biscet, who has given no indication he plans to abandon his struggle for freedom, decided to stay in Cuba.
And then I was overcome by emotion, first as I thought about what his family must be feeling tonight, and then as I considered what his release will mean for Cuba. If you have seen "Oscar's Cuba" or read or heard Biscet's letters and other statements from prison, you recognize him as one of the most eloquent and forceful critics of the Castro dictatorship.
His example and his leadership will now be as important as ever in the continuing struggle against the Castro tyranny and for Cuban freedom.
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