Their press exaggerated what was happening and how the Spanish were treating the Cuban prisoners.
Three thousand places are meant for Cuban political prisoners and their relatives.
In return, the United States has agreed to admit 3,000 Cuban political prisoners and up to 20,000 other immigrants a year.
"Yet there is considerable ambivalence about Cuban political prisoners in general from those who are often traditionally advocates for human rights victims."
Radio shows crackle with stories about Cuban political prisoners and jailed dissidents.
Like many Cuban political prisoners, they are not sure of the charges against them and are being held in harsh circumstances.
Orlando Zapata, a Cuban political prisoner, died having staged a hunger strike.
We feel great solidarity with the Cuban political prisoners who have been imprisoned due to their political beliefs.
The presence of human rights leaders would assure that the concerns of Cuban political prisoners and opposition leaders are not overlooked.
(Cuban political prisoners usually serve their full sentences; there is no provision for parole.)