UN Commissioner Denounces ‘Arbitrary’ Arrests in Cuba

HAVANA TIMES — The High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations (OHCHR), Navi Pillay, said on Wednesday that the recent arrests of activists in Cuba may be “arbitrary,” reported Notimex.

“Though the detainees are usually released within hours or days, the types of people who were arrested and the fact that the arrests are in relation to what they are saying, is cause for concern,” said Rupert Colville, the OHCHR spokesperson.

“Several of these cases have been analyzed by the Special Procedures Office of the UN,” said the OHCHR spokesperson in Geneva.

Following the arrests, the Washington-based Inter-American Commission on Human Rights announced the granting of interim relief to the opposition blogger Yoani Sanchez on the grounds that she is “at risk,” and requested the Cuban state to guarantee her life and her physical well-being.