December 27, 1999

HAVANA, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Cuban security services have temporarily arrested 136 dissidents so far this month to prevent planned protests against President Fidel Castro's government, a rights' group said on Friday.

Of those, the majority were released after short periods of up to several days in jail, but at least 10 were still in prison on Christmas Eve, according to the Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation.

``These are the highest numbers in years, and this tendency is going to continue in coming times,'' said commission president Elizardo Sanchez, himself one of Cuba's best-known dissidents. Sanchez' group is an unauthorised human rights monitoring body that the government refuses to recognise.

There was no official confirmation of the arrests.

Most of the detentions apparently were intended to prevent activities planned by Cuban dissidents around the 51st anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights earlier this month.

But there were also further arrests this week to prevent a planned silent demonstration at Havana Cathedral during Christmas celebrations, dissident sources added. Some were also picked up chained together at a recent religious pilgrimage.

The Cuban government claims all dissidents are U.S.-backed counter-revolutionaries, ``mercenaries'' and ``traitors.'' Opposition political groups are outlawed by Castro's one-party political system.

Sanchez said the increased number of arrests was related to more activity from dissidents and the government's preferred tactic of presentative and temporary action.

``The popular discontent is rising, and it is logical that demonstrations of discontent rise.... There are hundreds and hundreds of militant opponents, and many of them try to express their disagreement in various ways,'' he said. ``The government reacts with low-profile and low-intensity acts of repression.''

13:05 12-24-99

Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited.

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