Oswaldo Payá

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Upon accepting the Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought
Enlarge
Upon accepting the Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought

Oswaldo José Payá Sardiñas (born February 29, 1952 in Havana, Cuba) is a political activist in Cuba and is considered that country's most prominent political dissident.

He is commonly referred to in English language News media as Oswaldo Payá (For an explanation see Spanish use of two surnames)

Contents

[edit] Background

Oswaldo Payá was brought up in a Catholic family and would have been six or seven years old when in 1959 the Cuban government began to suppress the activities of the Catholic Church. In his youth he chose not to join the Communist Party or its youth organizations, but at the age of 16 was drafted into the Cuban Army. During his service he was punished for refusing to participate in transporting a group of political prisoners and was sentenced to hard labour on the Isle of Pines (today known as the Isle of Youth) for three years. A devout Christian, he has ascribed the incident which led to his punishment to a refusal to compromise his religious beliefs. Subsequently trained as an engineer, he today works as a maker of anaesthetic equipment. He is married with three children.

[edit] Politics

[edit] Christian Liberation Movement

Oswaldo Payá became a founder member of the Christian Liberation Movement in 1988. Created by secular Catholics it is today a non-denominational political organisation seeking to further the civic and human rights of Cubans. For more information see main article.

[edit] Varela Project

In 1998 together with other members of the Christian Liberation Movement he founded the Varela Project and remains its most prominent member. In the course of his involvement he has twice delivered petitions in person to the Cuban Parliament requesting a referendum on constitutional reforms such as entitlement to establish private businesses and changes in land ownership. For more information see main article

[edit] General Profile

Unlike some Cuban dissidents he does not accept aid from U.S. government sources and opposes the current U.S. Cuban embargo. He also maintains a distance from political Cuban groups in the U.S. with a refusal to support their stated aim of implementing land reacquisition upon the return of exiles to Cuba:

"It is not a neoliberal programme. For this, we are under attack by the powerful groups in Miami. When people say what is going to happen in Cuba after Fidel, we say - hold on, there are 11 million people in Cuba, not only Fidel Castro." Guardian 2006

Although his political activity is tolerated and he has been allowed to travel abroad he reports that both he and his family are subject to routine intimidation. Today there are approximately 300 political prisoners in Cuba, including members of the Christian Liberation Movement and supporters of the Varela Project:

"I have been told that I am going to be killed before the regime is over but I am not going to run away." Guardian 2006

[edit] Awards

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../o/s/w/Oswaldo_Pay%C3%A1_7c52.html"
In other languages