Engineer Rafael Santiago is released

Havana, August 13; (Manuel David Orrio, ANP) - Engineer Rafael Santiago was released from Villa Maristas, location for the State Security Department headquarters, during the night of August 12. At his release, he had been continuously detained since last July 27.

From the very beginning of his arrest, opposition sources warned the media against a possible government plot to fabricate an indictment blaming Santiago for the terrorist attacks against the National and Capri hotels. The government plot would have been directed to discredit the Cuban Orthodox Renovation Party, represented by the engineer in Havana.

During an interview; Santiago reported that he was subjected to intense interrogatories concerning the attacks. Later, he was accused of spreading false rumors about an alleged Hemorrhagic Conjunctivitis epidemic in the Nation's capital. Allegedly, he would have spread such rumor through independent journalists.

Santiago, thanked the Solidarity that several countries manifested with his predicament, at the same time that he reaffirmed his conviction to keep ahead with his active but, peaceful opposition against the government leaded by Fidel Castro.

While the political police have been unable to present any shred of evidence leading to solve the terrorist attacks taking place in the Nation's capital since last July 12. The political immediate effect has been the unleashing of a repressive escalade against the peaceful opposition and the independent activists, despite their commitment to a nonviolent course of action.

The terrorist modus operandi revealed itself as geared toward thwarting the increased popularity of Cuba as a tourist destination. But, as shown by the increased visibility of foreigners in Havana such plans have failed to reach its objectives.

In days past, at a Radio Marti talk show, about the Cuban tourist industry, the renown Cuban economist Jorge Sanguinetti expressed his opinion on the failure of such tactics to disrupt the National tourist industry. He pointed out that to 1958, during the Batista dictatorship, when even the number of bombs blasted during one single night reached one hundred, the arrivals of tourist failed to decrease. "Despite terrorism, 1958 was a boom year for Cuban tourism" said the prominent economist.

Distributed by Cubanet