MEXICO CITY — Cuban authorities arrested one of the island’s most vocal anti-government bloggers and several other activists on the eve of a politically charged trial, human rights watchers and others in Cuba said Friday.
The blogger, Yoani Sanchez, and her husband, Reinaldo Escobar, were driving into the city of Bayamo on Thursday when they were detained by police. Sanchez’s last message on Twitter came Thursday, and her cellphone appeared to be turned off Friday.
Cuban officials declined to comment on her detention. In Cuba, dissidents are sometimes arrested, held for a day or two and released without charges.
News of her arrest was first reported by a pro-government website, which said authorities were concerned that she would turn the trial into a “media show."
