CAMAGUEY, Cuba, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- A 42-year-old activist starved to death in a prison in Cuba's Camaguey Province after spending 83 days on a hunger strike, his mother says.
Reina Luisa Tamayo said her son, Orlando Zapata Tamayo, began his protest Dec. 3, 2009, in response to alleged abuses taking place at the Cuban prison, El Nuevo Herald reported Tuesday.
"They have assassinated Orlando Zapata Tamayo. My son's death has been a premediated murder,'' Reina Luisa Tamayo said of her son's death Tuesday. "They managed to do what they wanted. They ended the life of a fighter for human rights."
A crackdown on government opposition resulted in Orlando Zapata Tamayo being arrested in 2003 on charges including contempt and public disorder. Tamayo was involved with multiple dissident organizations before being detained.
Amnesty International said in a release a full investigation be conducted regarding the death of Tamayo, whose only reported survivors are his mother and a stepfather.
"The tragic death of Orlando Zapata Tamayo is a terrible illustration of the despair facing prisoners of conscience who see no hope of being freed from their unfair and prolonged incarceration," said Gerardo Ducos, a Caribbean researcher for Amnesty International.
