Said to Be First Ever Run By Opponents of Castro Government

Reuters

HAVANA —A group of Cuban economists led by one of the best-known opponents to President Fidel Castro's government on Friday launched a website they said was the first to be run by dissidents from within the Caribbean island.

The Cuban Institute of Independent Economists said at a news conference the site's (www.cubaicei.org) list of local dissident organizations was the most extensive
available, including 132 groups numbering around 21,000 activists.

The site also includes monthly reports on the economy giving a much more damning vision than the official version, opinion pieces and photos showing the grimmer
side of society like an empty shop, a beggar and dilapidated buildings.

"Our objective is to open a window on a part of civil society in Cuba," said the institute's director, Martha Beatriz Roque, who was released from jail last year after
nearly three years behind bars on charges of inciting sedition.

Cuban authorities label dissidents as counter- revolutionaries taking orders and money from the U.S. government and anti-Castro Cuban American groups in Miami.

Although Internet access is limited in Cuba, the group is able to send information abroad by e-mail thanks to a recent measure by state phone company ETECSA to
sell Internet access cards at $15 for five hours.

With an average Cuban salary about 250 pesos ($10) per month, the institute relies on financing from a 9-member support group in the United States, Roque said.
That group has also put up the site with the information received from Cuba.

"This page is done entirely from within Cuba, only using technical help abroad," Roque added. "We don't want to be behind a curtain. We want a space for people to see us."

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