Exile leader indicted for entering Cuban waters

MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- A federal grand jury Wednesday indicted a Cuban exile leader on charges he sailed into Cuban waters without a permit.

The two-count indictment charges Ramon Saul Sanchez, the head of the exile group Democracy Movement, and two associates with entering Cuban waters illegally during a protest in July.

The U.S. Coast Guard detained Sanchez and several members of his group July 14 after they entered Cuban waters. Sanchez said the group was about seven to eight miles off Havana: Cuban territorial waters extend 12 miles.

The Coast Guard also seized a 23-foot speedboat used by Sanchez's group, which opposes the communist government of Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

Prosecutors said Sanchez violated a law that prevents U.S. vessels from entering Cuban waters without a permit. Two other men, Alberto Perez and Pablo Rodriguez, were indicted with Sanchez.

July 14 was the anniversary of the deaths of 41 Cuban refugees killed when Cuban gunboats sank their vessel in 1994. Cuba has said the sinking was an accident.

Sanchez said he would challenge the indictment, arguing that federal authorities are "punishing non-violent activity."

"It's a clear violation of civil and international rights," Sanchez said of the law. "The proclamation is a presidential order against First Amendment rights and the right of a person to travel."