FANTU activists in Santa Clara (Photo via Martinoticias.com)
Thirty-two Cuban opposition activists, including 13 women, were arrested in Santa Clara on Tuesday when they tried to march to a cemetery to pay tribute to the four murdered Brothers to the Rescue, according to a reported at Martinoticias.com.
The activists are members of the Anti-Totalitarian Forum, led by Guillermo Farinas, who was among those arrested. Some were beaten, including one who had to be treated for her injuries, taken to locations far from the center of town, and then released.
The four Brothers to the Rescue -- Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre, Jr., Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales -- were in two planes that were shot down by Cuban fighter jets on Feb. 24, 1996, over international waters.
Cuban police in Havana and Santiago de Cuba also clamped down on activities to commemorate the shootdown. In Havana, 31 activists were targeted and in Santiago, activist Ricardo Guzman was arrested while carrying a sign paying tribute to the Brothers to the Rescue.
"The repressive forces of the dictatorship carried out strong operations to impede activities on Feb. 24, across the country," said Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia, head of the Patriotic Union of Cuba.
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