Dissident's cause still lives

Published Wednesday, December 24, 1997, in the Miami Herald

Dissident's cause still lives

Throughout his adult life, Sebastian Arcos Bergnes fiercely promoted human rights in Cuba. His death Monday night was a product of that struggle: Untreated cancer spread through his body while he was held a political prisoner in one of Fidel Castro's notorious jails. The neglect led to his death in Miami at 65.

Born in the port town of Caibarien in Cuba's central province, Mr. Arcos grew up in a passionately patriotic family. A dentist by trade, he was a dissident by calling. In his 20s he had joined the opposition to Fulgencio Batista, a dictator by military coup. Like so many Cubans after 1959, Mr. Arcos thought revolution was the answer, only to be disillusioned.

By the 1980s, he and his brother Gustavo Arcos Bergnes were among the leaders of the first human-rights group in Cuba, Comité Cubano Pro Derechos Humanos. His brother remains in Cuba, president of the group and still harassed by the government; Sebastian continued to serve as vice president. Can you imagine the courage that it takes to fight for freedom within Cuba? The cancer that ravaged Sebastian Arcos's body never weakened his commitment and couldn't vanquish his spirit or the imprint of his noble efforts.

``The work on behalf of human rights is the only possibility -- and the best -- to take a stand against the government,'' Mr. Arcos said two years ago upon being released from prison and coming to Miami for medical treatment. ``We've paid a big price for our work: family separations, imprisonments. But for me, this is the only way.'' May the valiant struggle continue in his memory, until his ashes can be carried to final rest in a free Cuba.