Cuban activist Oswaldo Paya, who spent years speaking out against the communist government of Fidel and Raul Castro and became one of the most powerful voices of dissent against their half-century rule, has died in a car crash aged 60.

Oswaldo Paya – one of Cuba’s best-known dissidents and leader of the Christian Democratic Movement, has died in a car crash yesterday.

Cuban activist Oswaldo Paya, was travelling near the city of Bayamo, in the eastern province of Granma, when the accident happened. Oswaldo Paya is known as the founder of the Varela Project – a campaign to gather signatures in support of a referendum on laws guaranteeing civil rights.

Cuba’s International Press Center has told that witnesses said the driver of the rental car lost control and struck a tree and police are still investigating.

Cuban dissident Oswaldo Paya has died in traffic accident / Oswaldo Paya was one of the main candidates for Nobel Peace Prize this year

Oswaldo Paya is the second leading Cuban dissident who died, after Laura Pollan – prominent Cuban opposition leader, died of heart failure in October last year.

Cuban dissident Oswaldo Paya, who drew strength from his Roman Catholic roots as he pressed for change in his homeland, continued to voice his opposition after Fidel Castro resigned due to illness four years ago, calling the passing of the presidency to younger brother Raul Castro a disappointment.

“The driving force of society should be the sovereignty of the people, not the Communist Party,” Paya wrote after the new parliament chose Raul Castro as head of state and government. “The people of Cuba want changes that signify liberty, open expression of their civil, political, economic and social rights.”

Cuban activist Oswaldo Paya wrote in a statement after the new parliament chose Raul Castro as head of state and government : ‘ The driving force of society should be the sovereignty of the people, not the Communist Party. The people of Cuba want changes that signify liberty, open expression of their civil, political, economic and social rights. ‘

One of Cuba’s most prominent dissidents and Sakharov human rights prize winner, Oswaldo Paya, dies in a car crash

Oswaldo Paya has received the EU top human rights award in 2002, the Sakharov Prize, named after the late Soviet dissident. 60-year-old Paya had also been nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize by former Czech President Vaclav Havel.

Oswaldo Paya gained international fame as the top organizer of the Varela Project, a signature gathering drive asking authorities for a referendum on laws to guarantee civil rights such as freedom of speech and assembly.

The circumstances of the Cuban dissident Oswaldo Paya’s car accident are still unclear. A usually well-informed pro-government blogger says that Oswaldo Paya’s car crashed into a tree. A state media website said there had been a ‘ regrettable traffic accident ‘ that killed 2 Cubans, while 2 other people, one Swiss and one Spanish, were injured.