Dissident attorney René Gómez Manzano was arrested with 33 peaceful democracy and humanrights advocates, leaders and members of the Assembly for the Promotion of Civil Society abd independent journalists in Havana on July 22^nd  2005 for planning to attend an opposition protest outside the French Embassy.

The group had picked the French Embassy for its rally to encourage Paris to keep pressure on Cuba to free 61 dissidents imprisoned in the 2003 crackdown that led to EU diplomatic sanctions.

Cuban authorities have freed 24 dissidents detained. Nine are remaining in detention among. Among them three, Rene Gomez Manzano, Oscar Mario Gonzalez, and Julio Cesar Lopez, may face charges  under repressive legislation, known as Law 88.The other six are being held on much lesser public disorder charges

René Gómez Manzano , independent journalist Oscar Mario Gonzalez and political activist Julio Cesar Lopez will face the Law for the Protection of Cuba's National Independence, said Elizardo Sanchez of the non-governmental Cuban Commission on Human Rights and Reconciliation. The three men told relatives they were informed of the charges by Cuban authorities.

René Gómez Manzano  is the best known of the three to face trial now. A longtime opponent of Fidel Castro's government, he helped organize an unprecedented gathering of dissidents in Havana on May 20. René Gómez Manzano  was jailed from July 1997 until May 2000 after being found guilty of "sedition" along with dissidents Marta Beatriz Roque, Felix Bonne and Vladimiro Roca, all of whom had criticized the Cuban Communist Party in a manifesto.

No date for the trial has yet been set.

The law, enacted in 1999 to rein in the political opposition, carries sentences of up to 20 years. It's the same law that was applied to most of the 75 opponents arrested in a highly publicized crackdown in March 2003. All were found guilty and sentenced to long prison terms.

Please join IDHAE in urging the Cuban authorities to drop all charges against peaceful activists Rene Gomez Manzano, Oscar Mario Gonzalez, and Julio Cesar Lopez, and to immediately release all of those imprisoned for their efforts to promote basic human rights in Cuba.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Please send telegrams/telexes/faxes/express/ airmail letters:

-         urging that Rene Gomez Manzano, Oscar Mario Gonzalez, and Julio Cesar Lopez be immediately and unconditionally released, on the grounds that they are prisoners of conscience, detained solely for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly;

-         urging to respect freedom of expression and freedom of association and to immediately release all of those imprisoned for their efforts to promote basic human rights in Cuba.

APPEALS TO :

COPIES TO: diplomatic representatives of Saudi Arabia accredited to your country.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY.