Cubans saw monumental change in February: Fidel Castro officially stepped down after five decades as president. But a recent incident made clear that if the country wants reform, it will have to do more than change heads of state.

After all, the new administration is not all that new. Mr. Castro was replaced by Mr. Castro -- that is, Raul, his younger brother who was second-in-command since 1965.

On April 21, 10 women, in T-shirts bearing the photos of their political-prisoner husbands, demonstrated in a park next to Havana's Plaza de la Revolucion. They were seeking the release of their husbands and they demanded a meeting with Raul Castro.

Instead of sitting down with them, Mr. Castro dispatched police to round them up. They were dragged onto a bus and driven away. Not that anyone would expect dramatic political reform from the new Castro-in-Chief, but this intolerance of a nonviolent protest made a hypocrite of the new president.

First, Mr. Castro said in his inaugural address, "This society ... is undoubtedly full of justice and everybody in it has the opportunity to express their views. ..." Second, Raul Castro's foreign minister signed two international human rights treaties, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The agreements commit Cuba to respect basic rights like freedom of expression and association.

Amnesty International says, however, that Cuba has at least 58 "prisoners of conscience," making it one of the most repressive governments in terms of free speech.

If Raul Castro truly believes in justice and human rights, he should honor his word. He should meet with the women seeking justice, release Cuba's political prisoners and apologize to those who have been terrorized by political oppression under either Castro.