Cuban activist killed in car crash

(Vatican Radio) Oswaldo Paya, who died Sunday when his car crashed in eastern Cuba, was known for his work in promoting political change through peaceful initiatives.

Paya was the driving force behind the Varela Project, a movement that sought a referendum to guarantee civil rights in Cuba, such as freedom of speech and assembly. The Project gathered more than 11,000 signatures which were delivered to the Cuban parliament in 2002. For his work on the Varela project, the European Parliament awarded Paya the Sakharov Prize for human rights that same year.

During an audience with Blessed John Paul II in 2003, Paya was greeted by the late pontiff as “el Cubano” – “The Cuban” – a gesture which the activist described as one “of hope and great encouragement.”

In 2005 Paya was nominated for a Nobel peace prize along with fellow Cuban dissidents, Raul Rivero and Oscar Elias Biscet. He was also the founder of the Christian Liberation Movement, a non-denominational initiative established in 1988 which advocates political change in Cuba.

Listen here to Ann Schneible’s report: