Marcelino Abreu
Numerous online accounts about Cuban prison inmate Marcelino Abreu Bonora's personal struggle against the Castro dictatorship do not refer to him as a "political prisoner."
But all the evidence suggests he might be deserving of the distinction.
First of all, Cuban police beat the shit out of him last August, apparently because he did not have any ID on him when stopped by officers.
And then in April, he was arrested, tried and sentenced to 4 years in prison after he was convicted of "assault" and "contempt" -- two charges the Castro dictatorship regularly uses to jail its political opponents.
Soon after, Abreu started a hunger strike demand his freedom. His protest, which has left him hospitalized, today is in its 57th day.
The CIHPRESS news agency has more about Abreu, including video of interview the agency's journalists did with Abreu in December 2010:
CIHPRESS also published photos of Abreu displaying the blood-stained clothes he was wearing when he was attached by Cuban police.
Abreu may not have the status of a "political prisoner," but his case is deserving of attention because it is yet another example of the dictatorship's cruelty against the Cuban people and the lengths to which some Cubans go to resist it.
That will always be deserving of recognition.
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