Cuban dissident dies in car accident
By Patrick Oppmann, CNN
updated 7:01 AM EDT, Mon July 23, 2012
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Cuban government statement says two people died in accident, two more injured
- Daughter of Cuban dissident Oswaldo Paya Sardinas questions government account
- Rosa Maria Paya says her father died Sunday in Granma province in a car accident
- Paya was known far beyond Cuba for his criticisms of the island's socialist government
Havana, Cuba (CNN) -- Prominent Cuban dissident Oswaldo Paya Sardinas died in a car accident Sunday, his daughter Rosa Maria Paya told CNN. He was 60.
She said her father died after the car he was traveling in was struck by another car in Cuba's eastern Granma province.
The car crash took place at 1:50 p.m. near Bayamo, Cuba, according to statement released by the Cuban government's International Press Center.
In Spanish: Government statement
Baseball diplomacy with Cuba
Cuban dissident testifies, disappears
Castro's daughter on Cuba's future
Paya and passenger Harold Capero died in the accident, the statement said. Two other passengers -- a Spanish citizen and Swedish citizen -- were injured and taken to a hospital, it said.
The government statement says there was not a second car involved in the crash and said the rental car that Paya was traveling in lost control and crashed into a tree. Cuban police are investigating the crash, the statement said.
On Paya's website, his daughter Rosa Maria posted an audio clip saying his family believed that a second car had been involved and that it had intentionally struck the car in which Paya was traveling.
A devout Christian and an engineer, Paya was known far beyond Cuba for his criticisms of the island's socialist government.
Cuban doctors battle to control cholera outbreak
In 2002, shortly before former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's visit to Cuba, Paya delivered petitions containing 11,020 signatures calling for democratic elections and freedom of speech to Cuba's National Assembly.
Although the initiative -- called the "Varela Project" -- was ignored by Cuba's government, Carter later spoke of Paya's signature drive during a speech that was broadcast on state television in Cuba.
The speech was the first time Cuba's government had allowed an American leader to address the populace as well as the first time that many Cubans had heard of Paya's efforts to change the country's political system.
Opinion: Should U.S. raise a fist or offer a hand to Cuba?
Internal opponents to Cuba's government are routinely labeled as traitors by the state-run media.
In 2003, Paya received the European Parliament's Sakharov prize for freedom of expression. The award is named for Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov and is awarded to those who work to promote human rights and democracy.
Part of complete coverage on
Catch up with all the latest news, photos and comments from the London 2012 Olympic Games in CNN's live blog.
updated 10:06 PM EDT, Tue July 31, 2012
From the 200-meter butterfly swim to women's team gymnastics, see the best pictures from day 4 of the Games.
updated 11:51 AM EDT, Mon July 30, 2012
Syria's rebels have transformed themselves into an armed movement capable of attacking the country's two largest cities.
updated 9:00 AM EDT, Tue July 31, 2012
Eric Moussambani swam the worst 100m time in the history of the Olympics. Now 34, 'Eric the Eel' is hoping to return to the pool at Rio 2016.
updated 9:45 AM EDT, Sun July 29, 2012
Israelis and Palestinians in Jerusalem tell CNN which U.S. presidential candidate is better for their cause.
updated 9:24 AM EDT, Sat July 28, 2012
The 140 million Twitter users are creating new challenges at the first "social media Olympics."
updated 4:32 PM EDT, Tue July 31, 2012
Hundreds of millions have been dazzled by the sights and sounds of director Danny Boyle's opening ceremony for the 2012 Summer Games.
updated 11:28 PM EDT, Wed July 25, 2012
For the first time, every country enters a female competitor, and survivors of the Arab Spring will compete. What surprises will London produce?
updated 9:25 AM EDT, Thu July 26, 2012
Forget about the queen and Big Ben -- the Olympic Park is in the East End, long home to London's working and creative classes.
updated 9:01 PM EDT, Fri July 27, 2012
When five teenagers sat down and posed for a picture at Copco Lake in 1982, they didn't plan on making it a tradition. But that's what it became.
updated 7:24 AM EDT, Wed July 25, 2012
The Olympics may have started out as an idealistic showcase of amateur sporting prowess, but now it's a very big business.
updated 9:01 PM EDT, Fri July 27, 2012
When five teenagers sat down and posed for a picture at Copco Lake in 1982, they didn't plan on making it a tradition. But that's what it became.
updated 10:33 AM EDT, Thu July 26, 2012
He's got blue wings, an adventurous spirit and is poised to be the latest film star to come out of South Africa.
updated 11:36 PM EDT, Wed July 25, 2012
Fangshan residents are angry at what they perceive as government indifference to their plight following devastating floods.
updated 3:09 PM EDT, Sat July 28, 2012
Lisa Sylvester reports on Skydiver Felix Baumgartner - who survived a test jump from 96,000 feet, falling at 536 mph.
updated 12:31 PM EDT, Wed July 25, 2012
A team of young documentary makers is hoping to burst the myth of Africa as a dangerous backwater by shining a light on some inspiring projects.
updated 5:06 PM EDT, Mon July 23, 2012
Even after the Colorado shootings, Jonathan Mann says American attitudes and laws concerning guns aren't likely to change much.
updated 5:36 AM EDT, Fri July 27, 2012
Islamic radicals linked to al Qaeda have seized the northern half of Mali, triggering concerns that it could become a terrorist haven.
updated 2:14 AM EDT, Thu July 26, 2012
If you tire of the athletics in London this summer, take a stroll through the city's World Heritage Sites.
updated 8:08 AM EDT, Fri July 27, 2012
A spate of recent suicides caused by bullying prompts Japan to set up a dedicated team to prevent further tragedies.
Most popular stories right now
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
|