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| US calls for inquiry into Cuban activists' deaths | US calls for inquiry into Cuban activists' deaths |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| The United States has added its voice to calls for an international inquiry into the deaths of two leading Cuban dissidents in a car crash last year. | The United States has added its voice to calls for an international inquiry into the deaths of two leading Cuban dissidents in a car crash last year. |
| Oswaldo Payá and Harold Cepero were killed when the rental vehicle they shared with two foreign politicians lost control on 22 July 2012. | Oswaldo Payá and Harold Cepero were killed when the rental vehicle they shared with two foreign politicians lost control on 22 July 2012. |
| The official version is that the car skidded off an unpaved road into a tree. A Cuban court found the Spanish politician at the wheel – Angel Carromero – guilty of speeding. | The official version is that the car skidded off an unpaved road into a tree. A Cuban court found the Spanish politician at the wheel – Angel Carromero – guilty of speeding. |
| However, Carromero later claimed the car was being followed and harassed by a car with official number plates. | However, Carromero later claimed the car was being followed and harassed by a car with official number plates. |
| Payá was a prominent critic of the Castro brothers' rule of Cuba. He had won the European Union's Sakharov Prize and been nominated by former Czech president Vaclav Havel for the Nobel peace prize. | Payá was a prominent critic of the Castro brothers' rule of Cuba. He had won the European Union's Sakharov Prize and been nominated by former Czech president Vaclav Havel for the Nobel peace prize. |
| In the wake of the fatal crash, his daughter, Rosa María, said the crash was "no accident". Her demands for an independent inquiry has found some backing. | In the wake of the fatal crash, his daughter, Rosa María, said the crash was "no accident". Her demands for an independent inquiry has found some backing. |
| The US government "supports the calls for investigation with independent and international observers into the circumstances leading into the deaths of Oswaldo Payá and Harold Cepero," US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. "The people in Cuba and families of these two activists deserve a clear and credible accounting of the events that resulted in their tragic deaths." | The US government "supports the calls for investigation with independent and international observers into the circumstances leading into the deaths of Oswaldo Payá and Harold Cepero," US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. "The people in Cuba and families of these two activists deserve a clear and credible accounting of the events that resulted in their tragic deaths." |
| In an initial video testimony to the Cuban courts, Carromero said the accident happened because he hit a pothole rather than being bumped by another vehicle. | In an initial video testimony to the Cuban courts, Carromero said the accident happened because he hit a pothole rather than being bumped by another vehicle. |
| But earlier this month, the politician – who is now in jail in Spain – told the Washington Post his car had been trailed by several vehicles during the day and that the crash occurred as he was being harassed by a car with official plates. | But earlier this month, the politician – who is now in jail in Spain – told the Washington Post his car had been trailed by several vehicles during the day and that the crash occurred as he was being harassed by a car with official plates. |
| "The last time I looked in the mirror, I realised that the car had got too close – and suddenly I felt a thunderous impact from behind," he told the newspaper. | "The last time I looked in the mirror, I realised that the car had got too close – and suddenly I felt a thunderous impact from behind," he told the newspaper. |
| Rosa María Payá has accused Spain of aiding in a cover-up by putting pressure on Carromero, who is now serving time in a Spanish prison. | Rosa María Payá has accused Spain of aiding in a cover-up by putting pressure on Carromero, who is now serving time in a Spanish prison. |
| An international petition, signed by 46 politicians and human rights activists, calls for the case to be reopened. | An international petition, signed by 46 politicians and human rights activists, calls for the case to be reopened. |
| "Mounting and credible allegations that the Cuban government may have been complicit in the murder of its most prominent critic … cannot go ignored by the international community," the petition reads. | "Mounting and credible allegations that the Cuban government may have been complicit in the murder of its most prominent critic … cannot go ignored by the international community," the petition reads. |
| The other survivor – Swedish politician Jens Aron Modig – has said he was asleep at the time and had no memory of a car hitting them. | The other survivor – Swedish politician Jens Aron Modig – has said he was asleep at the time and had no memory of a car hitting them. |
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