Léster Luis González Pentón was released from prison on July 12, 2010, along with five other dissidents, including fellow Honorary Member Dr. José Luis García Paneque. They were taken to Havana Airport where they were reunited with their families before boarding overnight flights to Spain. They arrived in Madrid on the afternoon of July 13, along with one other dissident. Their release follows talks between the Cuban government, the Catholic Church and the Spanish foreign minister, during which Cuba reportedly pledged to release the remaining 52 dissidents who had been jailed during the “Black Spring” of March 2003 over the coming months.
Case History
Léster Luis González Pentón was arrested on March 18, 2003, along with 74 other journalists considered to be dissidents by the Cuban government. He was the youngest of the dissidents arrested during this “Black Spring.” Until then he had worked as an independent journalist in central Villa Clara province.
On April 4, 2003, González underwent a trial that lasted from 8:15 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. He was later sentenced to 20 years in prison under Article 91 of the Cuban Penal Code, which imposes lengthy prison sentences, or death, for those who act against “the independence or the territorial integrity of the state.” He was initially detained at Santa Clara’s Prisión de Jóvenes, formerly known as Pretensado, and later transferred to Prisión Kilo 7, then Prisión Kilo 8, in Camagüey.
In 2004, 2005, and 2006, González carried out hunger strikes to protest poor prison conditions and harassment against him and his wife, who was reportedly threatened after taking part in a rally with the wives of the 75 imprisoned democracy activists, known as the Damas de Blanco (Ladies in White).