Bernardo Arévalo Padrón, Línea Sur 3 
Imprisoned: November 18, 1997

On October 31, Arévalo was sentenced to six years in prison by the Provincial Chamber of the Court of Aguada de Pasajeros, a town in the province of Cienfuegos. He was convicted on the charge of "lack of respect" for Fidel Castro and Carlos Lage, a member of the Cuban State Council. The conviction stems from a story Arévalo published on the leaders’ privileges. He reported that a helicopter transported meat from a farm in Aguada de Pasajeros to Havana, while the Aguada de Pasajeros inhabitants do not have enough to eat. Arévalo was detained and jailed on November 18. He is serving his sentence in Ariza prison in Cienfuegos, where Arévalo shares a filthy cell with common criminals. On November 28, the Aguada de Pasajeros Court rejected Arévalo’s petition to review the conviction. On December 19, CPJ wrote a letter to Cuban authorities inquiring about the legal status of Arévalo. No reply was received. On January 20, CPJ sent a letter calling for Arévalo’s release.