José Luis García Paneque
)
DoB: 1965
Profession: journalist (Agencia Libertad press agency) and librarian (Carlos J Finlay Library)
Details of arrest: arrested as part of a crackdown on alleged dissidents that began on 18 March 2003 and in which around 80 people were detained.
Details of trial: one of 34 journalists, writers and librarians sentenced during the one-day trials held on 3/4 April 2003 under laws governing the protection of the Cuban state. The one-day court hearings were held behind closed doors and it is reported that there was insufficient time for the accused to put together a cogent defence.
Sentence: 24 years. Sentenced under Law 88 and Article 91
Place of detention: Las Mangas prison, Ganama
Health concerns: Reported to have suffered from mental illness during his imprisonment. Transferred to the ward at the Prisión de Jóvenes in Villa Clara in or around July 2004 suffering from intestinal problems. Reportedly held in a psychiatric unit from November 2004 to November 2005. He also suffers from acute intestinal illness which has led to malnutrition, diarrhoea and excessive weight loss (his body weight has reportedly halved since his arrest in 2003).