Brazil leader blasted for stance on Cuba prisoners

By MARCO SIBAJA, Associated Press Writer Marco Sibaja, Associated Press Writer – 27 mins ago

A Cuban dissident on hunger strike to demand the release of ailing political prisoners accused President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday of complicity with "the tyranny of Castro." At home, Brazilian pundits blasted Silva while a political ally called the president‘s words disappointing.

Brazil‘s president went on to say a hunger strike cannot be used as a pretext to free people from prison, despite the fact that he himself engaged in a hunger strike as a union leader during Brazil‘s military dictatorship.

At the time, Silva told Brazil‘s privately run Agencia Estado news agency that he "deeply regretted" Zapata‘s death. Silva did not meet with opposition groups in Cuba.

"With that statement, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva shows his commitment to the tyranny of Castro and his contempt for the political prisoners and their families," Farinas said in an interview with columnist Flavia Marreiro of Brazil‘s Folha de S. Paulo newspaper. "A majority of the Cuban people feel betrayed by a president who was once a political prisoner."

"I‘ve been on hunger strikes and I would never do it again," Silva said. "I think it‘s insane to mistreat your own body."

"It‘s not just in Cuba that people died from hunger strikes," he said.

Cuba has blasted foreign press coverage of Farinas‘ hunger strike as part of a campaign to discredit the island‘s political system.

"The president expressed himself poorly or he was misunderstood," said Mauricio Rands, a federal deputy with the party. "We don‘t accept that somebody can be detained just because they have disagreements with the government."

Associated Press writer Bradley Brooks in Rio de Janeiro contributed to this report.



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