The International Federation of Journalists has protested to Cuban
president Fidel Castro over the arrest and expulsion of Italian and
Polish journalists and called on the country to end its long-running
campaign against independent journalists.
The foreign journalists were trying to cover a meeting of dissidents in Havana when they were arrested and detained.
The
Polish journalists arrested and expelled were Seweryn Blumsztajn of the
daily newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza, Jerzy Jurecki of the regional daily
Tygodnik Podhalanski, and Wojciech Rogasin of Newsweek.
Also arrested and expelled was Francesco Battistini, the correspondent of the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
“These
arrests and the continued imprisonment of more than 20 journalists and
writers are shocking evidence of the intolerance that dictates media
policy,” said Aidan White, IFJ general secretary.
“The Cuban
regime loses all credibility and international support drains away
because of its bullying and intimidation of media. All journalists in
jail – from home and abroad – should be released immediately.”
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