Student Protester On Internet Video Detained

February 12, 2008 6:12 a.m. EST

Havana, Cuba (AHN) - A university student shown on an Internet video challenging a top Cuban official was arrested by Cuban security officials.

The protester, Eliecer Avila, was arrested over the weekend after being shown in the video questioning Ricardo Alarcon, Cuba's National Assembly President. The incident occurred during an open forum attended by students allowed to speak with Alarcon.

Avila's statements targeted civil rights issues denied to Cubans by Alarcon, such as the restriction from free travel, prohibition from entering hotels, and the forced use of a weak currency system.

Addressing part of the questions, Alarcon replied to Avila, saying that he wished that Cubans were given the freedom to freely travel abroad.

Cuban authorities have been known for their strict adherences to censorship in terms of criticism about communism.