In a display of true dedication to their cause, a Cuban human rights activist, Elizardo Sanchez of the Cuban Commission for Human Rights and Reconciliation, has expressed that most of the political prisoners held in Cuba would rather serve out their long and unjustified sentences than be exchanged for Cuban spies being currently held by the United States. He is in frequent contact with political prisoners and their families in Cuba. This swap was suggested by Cuban “president” Raul Castro in response to Obama’s recent easing of restrictions on the regime and comments indicating the possibility of normalized relations between the two nations. These Cuban spies were implicated in the 1996 murder of American citizens and residents in international waters by the Cuban air force.

Elizardo Sanchez

As in the previous post, playing this game with the Castro regime will only raise the value of imprisoning people for political reasons and may backfire in the long run. Obama should demand the release of all political prisoners in Cuba (and around the world) without preconditions and immediately dismiss the idea of any sort of prisoner swap. America must help those that struggle for freedom through non-violence instead of unilaterally adopting policies that end up giving dollars to anti-American dictatorships. Let’s hope our president listens.

-AG