Dissident's Death Must Not Go Unpunished

at 12:06 AM Monday, May 9, 2011

BY: THE HILL

Cuban pro-democracy activist, Juan Wilfredo Soto Garcia, who died Sunday morning as a result of a brutal beating by Castro's secret police, had ominously warned of threats against his physical safety for engaging in peaceful protests.

In an interview with Radio Marti (listen here or below) last year, Soto denounced the repeated threats he'd received from the Castro regime for his friendship and support of Cuban hunger striker Guillermo Farinas (recipient of the European Parliament's 2011 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought).

He concluded the interview with this tragic premonition:

"I hold Cuban State Security, the government and the repressive police here in Santa Clara responsible for whatever happens to me in the future."

On Thursday of this week, Soto was arrested pursuant to demonstration in a public park and savagely beaten -- while handcuffed on the ground.

He died as a result.

The Castro regime is responsible for his death.

As Cuban pro-democracy leader Guillermo Farinas told the AFP:

"If we do not do something, so that the government changes its stand toward peaceful protestors, we are going to be reporting even more deaths."

For the sake of Cuba's courageous pro-democracy activists -- Soto's death must not go unpunished.