Yndamiro Restano Díaz
| Yndamiro Restano Díaz | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1948 |
| Nationality | Cuban |
| Occupation | journalist |
| Organization | Movimiento de Armonía |
| Known for | dissident reporting, 1990-95 imprisonment |
| Awards |
International Press Freedom Award (1994) Golden Pen of Freedom Award (1996) |
Yndamiro Restano Díaz (born c. 1948) is a Cuban dissident journalist and poet who has won the 1996 Golden Pen of Freedom Award of the World Association of Newspapers and a 1994 International Press Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect Journalists. In 1995, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel described him as "Cuba's leading dissident journalist".
Restano began his career as a radio journalist, but an interview he gave to a US journalist saw him spend a short time in prison and then lose his job in 1985.
In 1990, he was a founder of the Movimiento de Armonía (MAR; English: "Harmony Movement"), an unofficial political group which sought "to help through our ideas with the transition from state socialism to democratic socialism in our country". He also acted as the group's president.
On 20 December 1991, Restano was approached and handcuffed in Vedado, Havana outside of his parents' home. His detainers, who arrived in a private vehicle, took him to the headquarters of the Department of State Security. Six days later, MAR members Berenice Morales, Jorge Egaña and Iraida Montalvo Miranda were also arrested.Amnesty International declared the four prisoners of conscience, "detained solely on account of their peaceful political activities", and called for their immediate release.
Restano's trial began on 20 May 1992. Standing trial with him was María Elena Aparicio, a museum employee and fellow MAR member who was said to be MAR's coordinator for Havana. The pair was charged with rebellion; the prosecutor alleged that they had violated Cuban law by forming a political organization without government permission, that they had planned to form clandestine cells for the violent overthrow of the government, and that they had produced and distributed anti-government propaganda materials. Both were convicted, with sentences of ten years of imprisonment for Restano and seven for Aparicio. Restano was then sent to Guanajay Prison, Havana Province, to serve his term.
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