A man I hallucinated about in Cuban Art Series #6 has been freed from his Cuban prison, thanks to the French government. Here's the story from Cubanet.org:
HAVANA -- Leonardo Bruzon Avila, a little-known Cuban dissident who gained fame outside his homeland through international campaigns for his release, was suddenly freed from jail Tuesday and he said he would leave soon for France.
"My struggle is inside Cuba but I will go to France so that my voice is heard outside Cuba," Bruzon said in brief comments to reporters at his home in central Havana.
He said France granted him a humanitarian visa after his family became alarmed about his health during a recent hunger strike. French officials in Havana could not be reached for comment because the embassy was closed for the day.
Bruzon, leader of a group calling itself the February 24 Pro-Human Rights Movement, was still awaiting trial following his arrest more than two years ago on sedition charges.
Over the years, his case was mentioned in annual reports by groups including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Bruzon's family has maintained regular communication with those and other groups about their concerns for his well-being.
U.S. President George W. Bush even mentioned Bruzon by name, along with several other Cuban political prisoners, in an October speech announcing measures to crack down on American travel to the communist-run island.
In my piece, I speculated that he may already be dead, since he was down to about 80 pounds and in a coma.
What kind of strength, way beyond physical, way beyond Hercules, does it take to come back from such a dark borderline?
What's his secret?
[My title refers to the fact that Sr. Bruzon Avila was imprisoned partly for being accused of showing the Disney movie Hercules to his classes.]
[ANNOUNCEMENT: Tomorrow I post the Prologue and Part One of La Pionera and The New Mango, a techno-epistolary novella about Cuban art, life, and politics.]
Posted by Jerome at June 10, 2004 01:20 PM | TrackBack