Dissident's Widow To Cuba Gov't: "I Demand Answers"

HAVANA (CBSMiami) — Ofelia Acevedo told CBS News in Havana that she wants to speak directly to the survivors of the car crash that killed her husband, Cuban dissident Oswaldo Paya.

Paya was riding in a car with three other people the weekend of July 24-25 when the driver lost control of the car and slammed into a tree.

Paya and Harold Cepero, another Cuban dissident, were killed in the crash. Two others survived but have not spoken publically about it.

Investigators said the driver, Angel Carromero, tried to brake abruptly but instead skidded off the road, slamming into the tree.

On Friday, Cuba's Ministry of the Interior released a press note attributing Paya's death to the car's excessive speed and the unsuccessful efforts to brake when the car hit a two-kilometer, unpaved stretch of road. Carromero told investigators he did not notice signs indicating the road was undergoing repairs.

The government's note goes on to say that Paya and Cepero, both in the back seat, were not wearing their seat belts when the car hit that unpaved road.

It cites three witnesses whose testimony enabled investigators to determine that the car carrying Paya was traveling at 100 kilometers per hour.

Besides talking to the two survivors of the crash, Acevedo wants full access to the police investigation. Cuban authorities have not responded to her demands.