Cuba: foreign former officials can't attend dissident event

Associated Press

HAVANA (AP) — Mexican ex-President Felipe Calderon says Cuba won't allow him to enter the country to attend a ceremony organized by a prominent dissident.

Rosa Maria Paya has invited the secretary-general of the Organization of American States to receive a prize from her group in Havana on Wednesday. Calderon wrote on Twitter that he had been invited, but Cuba had denied him a visa. Former Chilean Education Minister Maria Aylwin posted a similar message. OAS chief Luis Almagro has not commented.

Cuban authorities have not responded to requests for comment. Paya is the daughter of Oswaldo Paya, who died in a 2012 car accident. His daughter has accused the Cuban government of causing the wreck, a charge the government denies.