Ninth released Cuban journalist arrives Spain

Bárzaga Lugo, who was arrested in March 2003, arrived in Madrid with his family on an Air Europe flight around 2 p.m. local time, Agence France-Presse reported. On arrival, the journalist was taken to a hotel in Madrid’s neighbourhood of Vallecas, where he joined six colleagues released and sent to Spain on Tuesday, and another two who were freed and exiled on Wednesday, the press reports said.

“We are pleased that the protracted suffering of journalist Mijail Bárzaga Lugo and his family has come to an end,” said Carlos Lauría, Committee to protect Journalists (CPJ)’s Americas program senior coordinator. “We urge Cuban authorities to provide accurate and timely information on the promised release of all the remaining imprisoned journalists.”

A reporter for the independent news agency Agencia Noticiosa Cubana before the arrest, Bárzaga was released as part of an agreement between the government of President Raúl Castro and the Catholic Church in Cuba. The church announced last week that the Cuban government had agreed to free a total of 52 dissidents arrested in the March 2003 government crackdown on political dissent and independent journalism that came to be known as the Black Spring..

“These releases brought us great relief, and I hope they open the way to more changes in Cuba,” Bárzaga told CPJ in a phone interview. He also expressed his solidarity with journalists who remain in prison in the island. “Although it is wonderful to be with my family again, I cannot be 100 percent happy knowing that many colleagues are still in jail in Cuba,” Bárzaga added.

Eleven journalists arrested during the 2003 crackdown remain in prison, as does one other journalist who was detained later, CPJ research shows. Neither the government nor the church have yet disclosed information on the remaining releases