Others said that the dissidents should have been more cautious. The prosecution is seeking the death penalty. The government accused the four dissidents of promoting aggressive U.S. policies toward the communist nation and trying to harm the economy by discouraging foreign investment. The defendants were arrested in July 1997 for criticizing a Communist Party document that they said did not present solutions to Cuba's severe economic problems. The charges also included encouraging Cubans not to vote, urging foreign businessmen not to invest in Cuba and asking Cuban exiles to encourage relatives on the island to undertake acts of civil disobedience.
Communist officials reject the characterization of the four as prisoners of conscience.