UN rights expert hails release of 11 prisoners in Cuba

A United Nations human rights expert has welcomed the release in Cuba of 11 prisoners from among 75 people arrested early last year.

In a statement issued Tuesday in Geneva, Christine Chanet, who was appointed by the Commission on Human Rights, pledged to continue seeking dialogue with the Cuban authorities in fulfilment of her mandate.

That mandate derives from a series of resolutions adopted by the Commission in recent years.

In a measure passed earlier this year, the Commission deplored the events which occurred last year in Cuba involving verdicts against certain political dissidents and journalists, and voiced hope that the country's Government would facilitate the transition towards the establishment of a fruitful dialogue with all schools of thought and organized political groups in the country.