September 10, 1997

Havana, Sep 9 (EFE).- Dissident doctor Dessy Mendoza Rivero remains under arrest, accused of "enemy propaganda" for breaking the news of an outbreak of dengue fever in the province of Santiago, said a family member. The outbreak killed 10 people.

Caridad Piñón Rodriguez, married to Dr. Mendoza, said she has been renounced at home and that she is often harrassed by insulting or threatening telephone calls.

She added that her husband had attempted to leave the island on a raft during the massive 1994 exodus, but that he voluntarily returned after reaching the Guantanamo Naval Base.

According to family sources, Mendoza, who heads the Independent Medical Association and the Pacifist Pro-Human Rights Movement, neither of which are officially recognized, has not been allowed to practice medicine since his return to Cuba. He has been under arrest since last June.

Caridad Piñón affirms that the information given by her husband to foreign press reporters regarding the outbreak of dengue fever was accurate. It was later confirmed by the Cuban government. EFE