His efforts culminated in the late 1990s in the Varela Project, a petition calling for a national referendum to overhaul the ruling system, including open elections, free speech and amnesty for political prisoners. The proposal represented a defiant rebuke to the iron grip that Fidel Castro, the country’s leader at the time, held on Cuba.
In response, the authorities detained Varela activists and forced some petition signers to rescind their signatures. Mr. Payá was “under constant surveillance and harassment,” the report by the commission said. The effort to hold a referendum ultimately failed.
After the car crash, Mr. Carromero was taken to a hospital where he was surrounded by soldiers, the report said. He explained that another car had crashed into them and forced them off the road, but a Cuban official insisted there had been no collision.
“Of course, I replied, that was a lie, that there had been no accident, but a blatant attack. He punched me in the face,” Mr. Carromero told the international commission. He has said the government pressured him to support their version. He also told the commission that the official said, “Your future will depend on your confession.”
The commission called on Cuba to offer reparations for the human rights violations committed against Mr. Payá and Mr. Cepero, begin a thorough investigation to clarify what happened and punish those responsible.
“Government officials tried to blame their deaths on a car accident, but the Payá family knew better,” said Kerry Kennedy, the president of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, the group that took the case to the human rights commission, in a video posted on Twitter.
Mr. Payá, a charismatic leader, posed a legitimate threat to the regime, said Angelita Baeyens, the Kennedy organization’s vice president of international advocacy and litigation.
