July 10th., 1997

No charges has been filed for detained journalist

HAVANA, 7 July (BPIC) - State Security officials in Pinar del Rio City have informed the family of jailed independent journalist Héctor Peraza Linares that no decision has been made on the charges that will be filed against him, and that the case is still in its "investigative phase".

Peraza, who is being held in State Security facilities since his arrest by the political police on 23 June, was a journalist for the government dailies Trabajadores (Worker) and El Guerrillero (Guerrilla Fighter) until he defected to the ranks of the underground press.

His former wife and mother of his two children, Mary Díaz Martel, informed the Independent Press Bureau of Cuba that the circumstances of his arrest are not clear, and that she fears government reprisals against the family. His current wife, Carmen Ana Fernández, had her national identification card seized by the authorities, an indication that her arrest may be imminent.

Peraza Linares is one of the most distinguished independent journalists on the island, and has been the target of severe harassment by the political police since last year for sending underground articles abroad for publication.