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Antúnez and other activists disappear in Havana
By Cuban Democratic Directorate

Marta Beatriz Roque Cabello carries out a sit-in in front of the Department of Justice in Havana: Activists are detained and their whereabouts are unknown

Jorge Luis García Pérez "Antúnez". (EFE)

Havana, September 27, 2007. Early this morning internal opposition sources denounced the detention of various human rights activists who were headed to Havana to participate in a chain of activities in support of freedom for political prisoners.

Later this morning more arrests were reported, however no police station in Havana confirmed the presence of the detained activists. As a result, these activists are currently considered ‘missing persons’.

According to independent journalist Guillermo Fariñas, one of the opposition leaders, Marta Beatriz Roque Cabello, along with other members of the Cuban opposition movement, are sitting in in front of the Department of Justice in Havana located in Vedado on Calle O and Humbolt.

The following is a partial listing of the missing activists since this morning.

1. Jorge Luis García Pérez “Antúnez”, his sister, Bertha Antúnez last heard from him at dawn today when he confirmed he was in Havana. Other activists and relatives of political prisoners are also missing along with him:

2. Blas Augusto Fortún Martínez

3. Yubí Diosnegui Pernet Pérez

4. Alicia Martínez Guevara

5. Alejandro Gabriel Martínez Martínez

6. Guillermo Pérez Yera

Other activists declared “missing” are:

7. Amado Ruiz Moreno, left a residence in Havana at 7:30 a.m.

8. Carlos Cordero Páez, left his home in Havana at 8:00 am

9. Idania Yánes Contreras, last spoke to someone in Santa Clara at 8:30 a.m., when she confirmed she was in Havana, near the home of Marta Beatriz Roque.

10. Yesmi Elena Mena Silvano, accompanied Idania Yánes Contreras.

11. José Díaz Silva, detained inside his home at Rancho Boyeros at 6:00 a.m.

12. Georgina Noa Montes, detained in her home at Arroyo Naranjo at 6:00 a.m.

13. Arturo Montgomery Alonso, detained at 10:00 a.m. by a patrol car.

14. Roberto de Jesús Guerra Pérez, detained inside his home in Centro Habana at 11:00 a.m. by Political Police officers.

15. Yunieski García López

16. Léster Fernández Zamora (accompanied Yunieski García López)

17. Félix Reyes Gutiérrez, independant journalist from Villa Clara

18. Yoel Espinosa Medrano, independant journalist from Villa Clara

Activists from Caibarién missing in Havana were last seen at 8:00 a.m. at the home of Roberto de Miranda in Centro Habana

19. Ariel Orama Martín.

20. Ángel Raúl Pérez Gavilán

21. Javier Delgado Torres

22. Carlos Michael Morales Rodríguez

René Montes de Oca Martijas, who is currently fasting along with a large group of human rights activists in the municipality of Arroyo Naranjo has made a call for all activists to show their support actively in the streets in support of the missing opposition members. “We had anticipated this repressive wave being developed against human rights activists because the regime would react to the upcoming supposed elections on October 28, where they hope to convince the country and the world that there is no opposition movement in Cuba and that there is no consolidated civil society that is willing to take risks to demonstrate that in Cuba there IS a community that seeks freedom,” he states in the document read from Havana via telephone.