Cuban dissidents honour OAS secretary-general denied entry
HAVANA — A group of Cuban dissidents on Wednesday recognized the secretary-general of the Organization of American States for defending human rights in their country even though the government denied him entry to attend the ceremony.
About a dozen dissidents and diplomats from the U.S., Czech Republic and Sweden honoured Luis Almagro at the home of the late democracy activist Oswaldo Paya, who died in a 2012 car accident.
Paya’s daughter Rosa Maria invited Almagro to receive the prize from her group in Havana. She has accused the Cuban government of causing the wreck, a charge the government denies.
Almagro sent dissidents a letter saying that the OAS’s only interest is to help move Cuba closer to the values and principles upheld by the organization in relation to democracy and human rights. He also said his intention is not to evaluate Cuba’s internal politics.