No giving in to dissident 'blackmail': Cuba
April 05 2010 at 08:29AM Get IOL on your
By Jeff Franks
Cuban President Raul Castro rejected US and European pressure over political prisoners on Sunday and said Guillermo Farinas, on a hunger strike for 40 days, and his supporters would be responsible if the prominent Cuban dissident dies.
Castro's comments - his most extensive yet on recent dissident activities on the island - signalled that Cuban authorities will not budge politically to prevent the death of Farinas, who they view as an instrument of US and European efforts to topple Cuba's communist system.
"Everything possible is being done to save his life, but if he does not change his self-destructive attitude, he will be responsible, together with his backers, for the outcome we don't want," Castro said in a speech to a Union of Communist Youth convention.
"More than a half century of permanent combat has taught our people that vacillation is synonymous with defeat," he said.
"We will never give in to blackmail, by any country or any group of countries no matter how powerful they are, no matter what happens," Castro added.
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