State concerned about arrests of dissidents at Cuba demonstrations

The State Department on Wednesday expressed concern about reports that Cuban officials had detained several critics of the Castro regime over a planned political protest. 

Cuban officials reportedly arrested at least three members of the political opposition on Tuesday, several hours ahead of a protest aimed at publicly discussing a way forward for the government in Havana about two weeks after the U.S. and Cuba agreed to resume full diplomatic relations, according to several press reports. 

{mosads}”We are deeply concerned about the latest reports of detentions and arrests by Cuban authorities of peaceful civil society members and activists,” the State Department said in a statement.

On Dec. 17, President Obama, announcing it was time for a different approach in the U.S.-Cuba relationship, opened talks aimed at boosting trade and travel between the countries and opening full diplomatic relations.

“We can do more to support the Cuban people and promote our values through engagement,” Obama said.

The protest was planned as a gauge of whether President Raúl Castro’s government would be more open to letting those critical of the long-entrenched regime to express their opinions in an open public forum.

“We strongly condemn the Cuban government’s continued harassment and repeated use of arbitrary detention, at times with violence, to silence critics, disrupt peaceful assembly and freedom expression, and intimidate citizens,” the State Department statement said.

One of those reportedly detained was Cuban artist Tania Bruguera, who travels back and forth between Cuba and her home in Florida.

She asked Cubans to meet Tuesday afternoon on the Plaza of the Revolution to detail their hopes for the future of the island, which has been under a U.S. embargo for more than 50 years.

It was unknown how many people she could reach because social media options are limited in Cuba due to a lack of Internet access.

The State Department said that as part of the process to normalize relations between the two nations “the United States will continue to press the Cuban government to uphold its international obligations and to respect the rights of Cubans to peacefully assemble and express their ideas and opinions.”

“Freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly are internationally recognized human rights, and the Cuban government’s lack of respect for these rights, as demonstrated by today’s detentions, is inconsistent with Hemispheric norms and commitments,” the State Department statement said.

Business groups and other Latin American leaders hailed the decision, saying it would open up the tiny nation and provide huge benefits for those U.S. companies operating across the region as well as encourage much-needed economic development.

“We urge the Government of Cuba to end its practice of repressing these and other internationally protected freedoms and to respect the universal human rights of Cuban citizens,” the State Department said.