Reuters

HAVANA, Dec. 11 –– Cuban authorities detained about 100 dissidents over the weekend in an apparent effort to block anti-gov-ernment activities coinciding with
World Human Rights Day, Cuban civil rights activists said.

The Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation, a group not recognized by the government, said that most were freed in a few hours, but
relatives of 10 detainees said they remained in jail this afternoon.

"This weekend, we have had the highest level of detentions in many years, more than 100 in 72 hours," said Elizardo Sanchez, the commission leader and a
well-known dissident. Sanchez said the arrests took place around the country Saturday and Sunday--Human Rights Day--in what appeared to be an attempt to
disrupt such activities as open-air meetings and distribution of copies of the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights.

Most of the planned activities were thwarted, although a few closed-door meetings proceeded as scheduled. The increased use of short-term arrests has hindered the
country's small opposition movement, which analysts say poses little threat to the government.