HAVANA, Oct 8 (Reuters) - The Cuban government will soon put the island's four best-known political dissidents, in jail for the last 15 months, on trial for sedition, an official spokesman said on Thursday.
The four, whose case has been a focus of international pressure on the Communist government of Fidel Castro, are to be tried for sedition at the capital's provincial tribunal and face maximum sentences of five to six years.
Government spokesman Alejandro Gonzalez said no specific date had been fixed, but preliminary investigative proceedings were completed, and the trial would be ``soon.''
The four -- Vladimiro Roca, Martha Beatriz Roque, Felix Bonne and Rene Gomez Manzano -- were detained on July 16, 1997, after issuing a document criticising Cuba's one-party political system and calling for democratic changes.
As well as publishing their document, La Patria es de Todos (The Fatherland Belongs to All), they were also involved in an abortive attempt in 1996 to create an umbrella group of illegal dissident organisations on the island.
The four's relatives and lawyers had been calling in recent months for their prompt release or open trial. The dissidents were held without charges until last month, when their lawyers were informed of the formal accusation against them.
As foreign governments have been boosting ties with Havana since Pope John Paul's landmark visit in January, official visitors have also been raising the case of the four as a symbol of unresolved human rights issues in Cuba.
Appeals for their freedom have come from a range of foreign governments and groups including the Vatican, European Union nations, the United States, Canada, Amnesty International and Americas Watch.
17:17 10-08-98
Copyright 1998 Reuters Limited.