Cuban hunger striker Guillermo takes a sip

Cuban rebel Guillermo Farinas who has been on a hunger strike for the past four month has taken his first sip of water in over four months.



He had been refusing to eat or drink in a campaign for the 25 most seriously ill political prisoners on the island to be set free.



This week, the Cuban government declared that it would release 52 political prisoners, following the intervention of the Roman Catholic Church and Spain.



The government's actions allowed one third of Cuban political prisoners to walk free.



The Director of the Washington-based Council on Hemispheric Affairs, Professor Larry Birns, says this week's occurrence indicates that change is taking place in Cuba.