Yoani Sanchez, Cuban opposition blogger, is released

GlobalPost

Young Cuban opposition blogger and reporter Yoani Sanchez has been released after more than a day in custody, reported The New York Times

The arrest prevented her from covering the controversial trial of a man charged with the death of a major Cuban rights champion. 

She tweeted her thanks to supporters today, writing that her living room was filled with supportive friends and family: 

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Sanchez and her husband were returned to their home late Friday night, reported The New York Times.

The 37-year-old activist was arrested Thursday in the eastern city Bayamo ahead of the Friday trial of a Spanish man charged in the death of prominent Cuban dissident Oswaldo Paya, a high-profile case she was covering as a freelancer for the Madrid-based newspaper El Pais, said Bloomberg

Known internationally for her Generation Y blog, which turns a critical eye on the Caribbean island’s communist government, Sanchez's arrest sparked global outcry. She was detained alongside 20 other pro-democracy activists, according to US Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, reported Bloomberg. It was not immediately clear whether others had been freed. 

More from GlobalPost: Yoani Sanchez vs. the state

The Spanish man, Angel Carromero, is being charged with homicide related to a July road accident that killed major Cuban activist Paya, who is credited with a historic 2002 petition for a popular referendum seeking key democratic rights. 

Paya's relatives, however, told Agence-France Press on Saturday that they blame the Cuban government for Paya's death and think Carromero should be freed. 

The Friday trial ended without a verdict, according to AP and FOX News Latino. Carromero could face a seven-year prison term. 

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