Cuban YouTube Acitivist freed from jail

Juan Carlos González Marcos, the Cuban man known as "Panfilo" who became a YouTube sensation when he was jailed for a videotaped rant against his government, has been freed from jail. As we reported last week, Panfilo's "Jama" video - in which he complains that the Cuban government isn't taking care of its hungry - has become an international sensation, spurning mash-ups and petitions to free the man from jail and repeal his 2-year sentence.

Reuters reported this morning that Panfilo has been freed and instead sentenced to 3 weeks in a mental health institution.

"It's a corrective decision very unusual for a government known for its rigidity," Elizardo Sanchez, spokesman for the independent Cuban Commission on Human Rights, told Reuters. "He said it was likely the result of "international public opinion."

Here's the video that started it all: