Trial begins for Spaniard involved in fatal Cuba crash
A Spanish politician charged with vehicular homicide in the death of a leading Cuban rights activist denied at his trial here Friday that he was speeding at the time of the accident. "The last time that I looked at my speedometer, I was not going faster than 80 or 90 kilometers per hour," Angel Carromero told the presiding judge as the proceedings -- which were expected to last just one day -- got underway. Carromero testified that he felt "profound sorrow" over the July 22 car crash near this town in eastern Cuba, which claimed the life of Oswaldo Paya, 60, a 2002 recipient of Europe's Sakharov prize for defense of human rights. Another Cuban dissident Harold Cepero, 31, was also killed in the crash. Dressed in a white shirt and beige slacks, Carromero told the court he felt "profound sorrow for the unfortunate accident that took place." "I have lost a lot during this time, and I'm going to lose even more, but nothing in comparison with the pain felt by the families involved" in the tragic crash, said Carromero, 27, who runs the youth wing of Spain's ruling Popular Party. Authorities say the Spaniard was behind the wheel, driving above the speed limit, when his rental car hit an unpaved section of road outside Bayamo, causing him to lose control of the vehicle and crash into a tree. He was injured in the accident, as was a Swedish activist who was a passenger in the car. Spanish press reports have said that the Cuban government is seeking a seven-year prison sentence against Carromero for "traffic violations resulting in death" -- which carries a maximum sentence of 10 ten years in prison. Madrid's consul general to Havana, who was at the courthouse Friday, said he was "optimistic" about the outcome of the trial. "We're hoping for justice. Let's see what happens," said Spanish diplomat Tomas Rodriguez Pantoja. Meanwhile, shortly before the start of the trial, Cuban authorities were reported to have arrested celebrated blogger Yoani Sanchez Friday, who had traveled to Bayamo to write about the proceedings. "The pro-American blogger Yoani Sanchez was arrested today in the city of Bayamo, where she had traveled with the intention of creating a provocation and a media show" at Carromero's trial, according to the pro-government website http://www.yohandry.com. In Miami, the Inter-American Press Association called for her immediate release. "If the Cuban authorities were seeking to minimize international coverage of the trial, putting a stop to the awaited and followed writings of Sanchez they have achieved just the opposite with this arbitrary arrest, which is clearly politically motivated," said Gustavo Mohme, chairman of the press group's committee on freedom of the press. Sanchez, 37, began commenting on daily life in Cuba on her Generacion Y blog in 2007, but ran afoul of the regime for criticizing Fidel and Raul Castro. Last week, she filed a complaint with the Inter-American Human Rights Commission, saying that Cuba repeatedly refused her permission to leave the country, according to her attorney. Lawyers for the activist and writer said Sanchez -- who was arrested along with her husband -- had presented evidence to the commission that both had been harassed by Cuban authorities. Her attorneys said Sanchez has been unable to leave Cuba since 2007, although she has requested permission to do so on some 20 occasions. Dissidents said that on the eve of the trial, Cuban authorities Thursday detained 42 opposition activists, including opposition leader Guillermo Farinas, in the city of Santa Clara. A spokesman for the group, Ramon Jimenez, said they were freed several hours later. Farinas, 50, famous for having staged numerous hunger strikes, was arrested along with the others as he was heading to a meeting, his mother Alicia Hernandez told AFP. Like Paya, who died in July's crash, Farinas is a past winner of the prestigious Sakharov prize -- the European parliament's human rights award.
