April 14, 1957.p. 10.
HAVANA, April 13—Seven Cubans are in foreign embassies in Havana under the right of political asylum, according to Minister of State Gonzalo Guell.All of these will be given safe conduct out of the country, Dr. Guell said.
The Embassy of Mexico has four, Honduras one, Guatemala two.The most prominent of these is Dr. Maria Teresa Freyre de Andrade, leader of the opposition Ortodoxo party and a professor in Havana University.She is in the Mexican Embassy.
Dr. Freyre de Andrade is a niece of three Freyre de Andrade brothers, lawyers and profressors of Havana University, who were killed in their homes by henchmen of the Machado regime in the Thirties.Dr. Norberto Martinez, who was director of the Mazorra national insane asylum in the Prio Socarras Administration, also is in the Mexican Embassy.
Physician
Gets Asylum
Dr. Heliodoro Martinez, physician of the City Emergency Hospital, is at the Honduran Embassy.The names of the others were not revealed by the Ministry of State, which has lately followed the policy of not announcing the presence of political refugees in foreign embassies or the granting of safe conduct.
It is known that for several months numerous political refugees have been granted safe conduct under the Latin-American pact of which Cuba is a signatory, but no official announcements have been made.
All cases of political asylum are receiving careful study, but no political refugee believed to be genuine has ever been denied a safe conduct, according to the Ministry of State.However, it has happened several times, a Ministry spokesman said that those unable to obtain a Cuban passport because of past or present Communist affiliations have entered embassies in an attempt to leave Cuba.Also this has occurred in the case of some common criminals.The embassy in question after investigation had several times respected attempts of this element to seek asylum, a spokesman said.
No special vigilance has been established over foreign embassies and other offices of diplomatic representatives here and only one policeman is on duty at each embassy, the spokesman said.
It is noted that most Cubans seeking political asylum choose embassies of Mexico, Uruguay, Panama, Costa Rica and Guatemala.
Slain Leader
Honored
Meanwhile, students and the opposition element attended masses in various churches today in memory of José Antonio Echevarria, president of the Havana University Student Federation, killed March 13 when insurgents attacked the Presidential Palace.
In Havana following the mass a group placed a wreath of white lilies where Señor Echevarria was killed by policemen after an assault of a near-by radio station.
Policemen dissolved the group attempting to march to Vidal Park in the town of Santa Clara, Las Villas province, following a mass.A student demonstration was dispersed by troops in Manzanillo, Oriente Province, after they had attended a mass.
In Camaguey a mass was celebrated for Dr. Pelayo Cuervo Navarro whose bullet-riddled body was found near the country club in Havana several hours after the attack on the palace.