This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/americas/8098581.stm
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
Cuba dissident flies to Argentina | |
(about 17 hours later) | |
A leading Cuban dissident who for years was refused permission to visit relatives abroad has flown to Argentina after authorities relented. | |
Neurosurgeon Hilda Molina, 66, broke into tears at Havana airport ahead of her visit to her ailing 90-year-old mother and her grandchildren. | |
Dr Molina has been fighting Fidel Castro's government since 1994 for the right to visit. | |
In 2008 she asked Argentine President Cristina Fernandez to intercede. | |
Dr Molina broke with Fidel Castro in 1994 in a row over the country's health system. | |
'Family rights' | |
Dr Molina was given permission to visit on Friday and a day later had the necessary travel papers. | |
An emotional Dr Molina said at Havana airport: "It's too much. The children, my son whom I haven't seen in 15 years, the grandchildren I've never met and my mother who is ill." | |
It is not known whether Dr Molina will return to Cuba. | |
As she departed she urged other dissidents to "ask for their rights, like I did". | |
"They mustn't remain silent," Associated Press news agency quoted her as saying. "They don't have to create problems, just simply claim their family rights, which is something so basic and simple." | |
Dr Molina broke ranks with the government over the ethics of stem cell treatment for conditions such as Parkinson's Disease. | |
She also criticised the country's socialised health care system, saying Cuba was offering superior treatments to foreign, fee-paying patients. | She also criticised the country's socialised health care system, saying Cuba was offering superior treatments to foreign, fee-paying patients. |
Her son, Roberto Quinones, moved to Argentina in 1994 with his wife. The couple have two children. | |
Her mother, Hilda Morejon, was given permission to move to Argentina several months ago. | Her mother, Hilda Morejon, was given permission to move to Argentina several months ago. |
Fidel Castro's brother Raul took over as Cuba's official head of state last year. | Fidel Castro's brother Raul took over as Cuba's official head of state last year. |