14ymedio/EFE, Havana, January 9, 2023 — Cuban opponent Óscar Elías Biscet, founder of the Emilia Project to restore democracy in Cuba, was arrested on Monday near his home in Havana, his wife, Elsa Morejón, confirmed to 14ymedio.
According to Morejón, he was arrested at 8 am on Milagro and 8th, in Lawton, where the family lives. There, “two patrol cars” with State Security agents were waiting for him. Since then, she has not heard from him.
This January 9 marks the tenth anniversary of the founding of the Emilia Project, and Biscet was going to a meeting with other leaders of that initiative when he was arrested.
Almost three years ago, the opponent was arrested for five hours, while State Security agents searched his house and took all kinds of electronic devices.
Biscet, age 58 and a doctor by profession, was arrested at the end of 2002 and sentenced to 25 years in prison during the so-called Black Spring. He was later released in 2011 as part of a negotiation process involving the Vatican and the Spanish Government. The dissident was also a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize and presided over the Lawton Human Rights Foundation.
After being released, under the condition of non-parole leave, he was only allowed to travel outside the Island on one occasion.
Creator of the Emilia Project and decorated with the Medal of Freedom of the United States Congress, Biscet began his rebellious work by criticizing the practice of abortions in Cuba, while working as a doctor.
Police records are a frequent repressive practice in Cuba and have been widely reported by national human rights organizations and international organizations.
The Emilia Project is named after one of the Cuban heroines, Emilia Teurbe Tolón, the first Cuban woman banished for political reasons.
“Those of us who subscribe to this document, inspired by its patriotic example, intend to carry out this project whose essential objectives are the conquest of fundamental human rights, democracy and the freedom of the Cuban people,” says the website.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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