.- In an effort to “unite all of the forces that desire change in Cuba,” dissident groups in the Communist country have organized the first “Assembly For Promoting Civil Society in Cuba” to take place on May 20. Sources from the organization reported that the event will be presided over by Martha Beatriz Roque, Rene Gomez Manzano and Felix Bonne Carcasses, all renowned for their peaceful opposition to the Castro regime. Despite restrictions on free speech, the dissident leaders expressed their desire to begin an initiative that does not belong “to any one political party.”
Organizers of the event have begun coordinating with dissidents in Cuba and with Cuban exiles in other countries, in order to obtain their material and moral support.
The Assembly For Promoting Civil Society in Cuba is the concerted effort of 365 independent organizations whose requests for official recognition have been rejected by the government because, as organizers point out, in Cuba, “dissent is not allowed, not even by the country’s own Constitution.”
Organizers said the Assembly is meant to educate Cubans on the reestablishing of a civil society “with a view towards the installation of democracy in our country.”
More information can be found at: www.asambleasociedadcivilcuba.info.
