Bush mourns late Cuban revolutionary
WASHINGTON --President Bush on Thursday mourned the recent death of Mario Chanes de Armas, who was at Fidel Castro's side in the Cuban revolution and later spent decades as a political prisoner in the leader's jails.
"Cuban patriot Mario Chanes de Armas was a political prisoner of the Castro regime for 30 years, one of the longest sentences of any political prisoner in the world," Bush said in a statement. "Like so many Cubans, he sought a democratic Cuban society only to see his quest betrayed by a Castro dictatorship."
Chanes de Armas, who died at age 80 on Saturday at Miami's Hialeah Hospital, was sentenced with Castro and others to 15 years by the Batista dictatorship, though they were granted amnesty and released 20 months later.
Soon after, they organized the insurrection which brought them to power in 1959. But Chanes de Armas joined the opposition to the new regime when he became convinced that Castro was betraying the democratic promises he had made. On July 17, 1962, Chanes de Armas was sentenced to prison.
Eventually, he and four other prisoners were released with the efforts of several human rights organizations and his family, who had met with President George H.W. Bush. In 1993, he traveled to Washington, where he was received by President Clinton.
"Mario Chanes was one of the original plantados, Cuban political prisoners who were unyielding in their fervent desire for a free Cuba," Bush said. "His patriotism and strong sense of purpose are examples to all freedom-loving people. Laura joins me in sending our thoughts and prayers to his family and friends."
