Havana, Cuba, Feb 4, 2010 / 21:14 pm
Thirty-three political prisoners in Cuba have sent a letter to South African leader Nelson Mandela informing him that they will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of his liberation “from behind bars.”
The letter was written by prisoner of conscience and leader of the Christian Liberation Movement, Antonio Ramon Diaz Sanchez, who was condemned to 20 years in prison. Despite serious obstacles, 32 other prisoners were able to sign the letter, which recalls that with the liberation of Mandela on February 11, 1990, the world “witnessed the beginning of a process of change.”
This change, they wrote, put an end to an irrational social order and to “the repugnant regime of Apartheid.”
“We and many other Cubans, and you and many of your fellow countrymen, understand the pain of being imprisoned solely for wanting to contribute...nothing more than equality of rights and responsibilities for all citizens,” the letter stated.