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February 25, 2010

Cuba “Regrets” Death of Jailed Dissident
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Cuban President Raul Castro has expressed regret over the death of a
jailed hunger-striking dissident. Orlando Zapata Tamayo had refused to
eat for eighty-five days to protest what he called inhumane jail
conditions. Amnesty International had declared him a prisoner of
conscience. On Wednesday, Castro said Tamayo had received Cuba’s best
medical care and said Cuba “very much regrets” his death. Castro also
defended Cuba’s treatment of prisoners, comparing it to the United
States.

Cuban President Raul Castro: “In a half a century, we haven’t killed a
single person. Here, there was no torture. There was no execution. Here,
we haven’t killed anyone unlawfully. Well, here in Guantánamo, there has
been torture, but in the Guantánamo naval base, not in our territory.”



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