Havana - The number of political prisoners and prisoners of conscience in Cuba is decreasing and now stands at 205, even as the Cuban government has increased "political and social repression" in the form of "short-lived arbitrary arrests," a dissident human rights organization said Monday.

According to the biannual report issued by the illegal Cuban Commission of Human Rights and National Reconciliation, there were 205 political prisoners in the communist island on January 30. CCDHRN is an illegal organization, however it is tolerated by the government.

In the group's previous report, issued in July 2008, there were 219 political prisoners, while a year ago there were 234.

The CCDHRN said fundamental rights in Cuba "did not show significant improvements" in recent months, even if no long jail sentences were imposed for political motives.

"But (the authorities) continue to apply, increasingly so, political and social repression in the form of hundreds of short- lived arbitrary arrests," the document added.

The organization counted over 1,500 arrests of this type. (dpa)