Dissident freed

last updated 8 January 2015

Havana

Francisco Chaviano, identified by human-rights groups as Cuba’s longest-serving political prisoner, was released last week after nearly 13 years of confinement. Chaviano, a former teacher, was arrested and tried in 1995 for revealing state secrets, in a trial that international observers said was a sham. Cuban authorities claimed that Chaviano, who had publicized corruption by government officials, was a “counterrevolutionary mercenary” on the payroll of the CIA. According to human-rights groups, Cuba is holding at least 200 political prisoners. Those prisoners, activists say, are often beaten and denied adequate food and medical care.