Washington: The US has condemned detention of civil rights activists in Cuba and appealed to the Cuban government to respect the universal human rights of its citizens.
"We have seen reports of the latest arbitrary detentions by Cuban authorities of dozens of civil society members and activists, including prominent pro-democracy activist Jorge Luis Garcia Perez, also known as `Antunez`, his wife, Yris Perez Aguilera, Ladies in White spokesperson Berta Soler, and her husband, Angel Moya," US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf said.
"We have also seen reports that independent journalist Roberto de Jesus Guerra was violently assaulted and reportedly suffered a broken nose and torn ligaments," she said.
"We strongly condemn the Cuban government`s systematic use of physical violence and arbitrary detention to silence its critics, disrupt peaceful assembly and even, in the case of the detentions of Soler and Moya, prevent attendance at a court hearing unrelated to broader issues of governance," Harf said.
"We urge the Government of Cuba to end these practices and respect the universal human rights of Cuban citizens," the State Department official said.
