.Cuba accused of repression after prisoner death
* Cuba trying to prevent protests, rights group says
* Blogger Yoani Sanchez among those detained
HAVANA, March 1 (Reuters) - The Cuban government detained at least 126 people, including dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez, in a crackdown following the hunger strike death of political prisoner Orlando Zapata Tamayo, a Cuban human rights group said on Monday.
Many were attending or en route to Zapata's funeral on Thursday in the eastern city of Banes when they were detained, most for less than 24 hours, said Elizardo Sanchez, spokesman for the independent Cuban Human Rights Commission.
He said the government was attempting to prevent protests over Zapata's death, which was condemned internationally and prompted calls from the United States and Europe for Cuba to release its estimated 200 political prisoners.
"The government has applied this wave of repression to neutralize expressions of condemnation and rejection of the fact that it let Orlando Zapata die," he told Reuters.
He predicted the crackdown would continue.
Zapata, a 42-year-old plumber, died on Feb. 23 after an 85-day hunger strike to protest conditions in prison, where he had been held since 2003, serving 36 years in sentences for crimes including resistance and disrespect.
His death has become a rallying point for government opponents, who say they will step up efforts to force democratic change in Cuba.
Yoani Sanchez, who often criticizes the Cuban government in her "Generation Y" blog, was detained in Havana on Feb. 24 as she went to sign a condolence book for Zapata, according to an entry in her Twitter account.
In brief blog entry, she described images from that day of "detentions, blows, violence, a jail cell that smelled of urine."
She could not be reached for comment immediately, but Elizardo Sanchez said she had been "treated brutally."
Yoani Sanchez, 34, said in November she was detained and beaten by government agents as she walked in Havana to a protest against violence.
At least five people, including four prisoners, have launched hunger strikes to protest Zapata's death, the human rights commission said on Friday.
Cuba said in state-run press on Saturday that Zapata was a common criminal used by Cuba's enemies for political purposes.
Cuban leaders consider dissidents to be U.S. mercenaries working to overthrow the communist-led government.
Optioetics
* Blogger Yoani Sanchez among those detained
HAVANA, March 1 (Reuters) - The Cuban government detained at least 126 people, including dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez, in a crackdown following the hunger strike death of political prisoner Orlando Zapata Tamayo, a Cuban human rights group said on Monday.
Many were attending or en route to Zapata's funeral on Thursday in the eastern city of Banes when they were detained, most for less than 24 hours, said Elizardo Sanchez, spokesman for the independent Cuban Human Rights Commission.
He said the government was attempting to prevent protests over Zapata's death, which was condemned internationally and prompted calls from the United States and Europe for Cuba to release its estimated 200 political prisoners.
"The government has applied this wave of repression to neutralize expressions of condemnation and rejection of the fact that it let Orlando Zapata die," he told Reuters.
He predicted the crackdown would continue.
Zapata, a 42-year-old plumber, died on Feb. 23 after an 85-day hunger strike to protest conditions in prison, where he had been held since 2003, serving 36 years in sentences for crimes including resistance and disrespect.
His death has become a rallying point for government opponents, who say they will step up efforts to force democratic change in Cuba.
Yoani Sanchez, who often criticizes the Cuban government in her "Generation Y" blog, was detained in Havana on Feb. 24 as she went to sign a condolence book for Zapata, according to an entry in her Twitter account.
In brief blog entry, she described images from that day of "detentions, blows, violence, a jail cell that smelled of urine."
She could not be reached for comment immediately, but Elizardo Sanchez said she had been "treated brutally."
Yoani Sanchez, 34, said in November she was detained and beaten by government agents as she walked in Havana to a protest against violence.
At least five people, including four prisoners, have launched hunger strikes to protest Zapata's death, the human rights commission said on Friday.
Cuba said in state-run press on Saturday that Zapata was a common criminal used by Cuba's enemies for political purposes.
Cuban leaders consider dissidents to be U.S. mercenaries working to overthrow the communist-led government.
Optioetics
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