Oswaldo Payá

latin america herald tribune

read letter Letter to Nelson Mandela from Cuban pol prisoners

Christian Liberation Movement

Antonio Ramón Díaz Sánchez, prisoner of conscience, leader of the Christian Liberation Movement and one of the principal organizers of the Varela Project, who is serving twenty years of unjust imprisonment in Canaletas Prison, Ciego de Avila Province, wrote a letter to Mr. Nelson Mandela.  Antonio Díaz read this letter to us, which was recorded and transcribed.

This letter recognizes the twentieth anniversary of the release from prison of the prominent leader of the struggle against Apartheid and also denounces the unjust imprisonment of dozens of Cuban human rights defenders.

Antonio Díaz submitted the letter to be read by his fellow prisoners of conscience in the Canaletas prison. Afterwards, slowly and amidst many difficulties in communication, other prisoners who were able to learn about it had also signed it. The impossibility for other political prisoners to read the letter or hear news of its existence is the reason why the names of many political prisoners who surely would have signed it are missing. In any case, we continue to demand the immediate and unconditional release of all Cuban political prisoners.

We have enclosed the letter to Mr. Mandela that we are making public with the names, ages, and the number of years of wrongful conviction and imprisonment of each prisoner who signed it, as well as the location of the prison in which they are confined.

Oswaldo José Payá Sardiñas.

Christian Liberation Movement