Protesters in Prague demand release of Cubans from US prison

About forty people gathered in front of the United States Embassy in Prague on Saturday to demonstrate in support of the release of five Cubans sentenced for "conspiracy with the aim of espionage" in the United States. Three of them received life sentences from a Miami court and two were given 15 and 19 years in prison respectively. According to the Communist Youth Association which organised the protest the Cubans were convicted unjustly. Speakers at the demonstration also protested against the Czech government's long-term critical approach to Fidel Castro's regime in Cuba and against the US plan to build a missile defence base in the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic has been one of the sharpest critics of Fidel Castro's regime on the international scene in recent years.