Protests In Cuba: Demonstrations Turn Violent on Human Rights Day

A series of protests in Cuba have taken a violent edge. Today marks the 65th anniversary of the International Declaration of Human Rights. Not withstanding, Cuba has seen the detention of several protesters. While a government-sanctioned event was organized in the upper class neighborhood of Miramar in Havana to celebrate Human Rights Day, a protest organized by the Ladies in White was interrupted by police who shoved 20 dissidents into cars and buses and detained them for several hours.

While President Obama was seen shaking long-time rival Raul Castro's hand at Nelson Mandela's funeral yesterday, the protests in the Cuban capital suggested a less peaceful atmosphere. Cuban laws forbid virtually every kind of protest or manifestation. Under former president Fidel Castro, dissidents faced long prison terms while under Raul, protesters are regularly detained for a few hours, days or weeks at a time. The Ladies in White was formed in 2003 by the wives of 75 imprisoned dissidents.

Meanwhile, the Communist Party's official newspaper Granma lauded Human Rights Day on its front page saying "today, December 10 ... signifies a fiesta for the advances achieved in this area (human rights) and the new goals still to be reached."