Fidel Castro appears in public for the first time since his illness

Published: July 11, 2010

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    Former Cuban President Fidel Castro appeared in public on Wednesday for the first time since July 26, 2006, according to a Cuban journalist who published five photographs of a visit to a research center in Havana.

    According to journalist Norelys Morales Aguilera and his blog ‘Islamia’, Castro was on Wednesday at the National Center for Scientific Research.

    The note does not give any more details of it except that it is “the first visit of this kind that he [Castro] made since 2006 when he left his duties as a statesman for health reasons” and that “he was attended by the directors of the center,” “workers of the institution came to say hello” and “saw him smiling and healthy.”

    Following the news, the official website “Cubadebate” has confirmed the appearance of former Cuban president. In particular, the digital page published five photographs of the Cuban leader signed by one of his sons, the photographer Alex Castro Soto del Valle, where he is seen wearing white sports clothes and chatting with several directors of the institution.

    Cubadebate is the page in which the former ruler publishes articles with his thoughts. “Commander in Chief Fidel Castro visited last Wednesday, July 7, the National Center for Scientific Research, in the context of the 45th anniversary of the forerunner of the Scientific Center of the Cuban capital,” the note was saying next to the images.

    The visit came the same day in which his brother, President Raul Castro met with the Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos and Cardinal Jaime Ortega and announced the gradual release of 52 Cuban political prisoners.

    Since he became ill, Castro has received in hospital and at his home, several heads of the state, personal friends and even a group of young Venezuelan students.

    However, this is the first time confirming an exit to the street or a visit to a Cuban institution, although there are rumors that he was seen walking with his bodyguards, in the streets of the villages near his residence.

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