HAVANA, Cuba (CNN) -- According to Cuban state media, the government has now launched a criminal investigation into the death of Oswaldo Paya, a prominent Cuban dissident. He died in a car crash a little more than a week ago.
The driver and an another passenger are being held during the investigation.
Eight days after the car crash that took the life of Oswaldo Paya, a leading critic of the Cuban government. The Cuban government holds a news conference to present a witnesses account, from Aron Modig, a Swedish politician and one of the two survivors of the crash.
A visibly tense Modig says he was in Cuba to support Paya's work, now he is being held by authorities to counter suggestions that Paya's car may have been run off the road.
At the news conference he says there was no foul play involved. To combat accusations that the government targeted a prominent dissident, Cuban officials released video of the wrecked car, a computer animation of the crash and testimony from the driver of the car.
The driver, Spanish politician Angel Carromero, is still being held as part of the investigation. The cuban government says he was driving too fast and lost control of the car, crashing it into a tree.
Paya's widow doesn't believe any of it. Ofelia Acevedo says, "I can't take the word of a government that wants to kill my husband, that threatened his life a ton of times."
For decades Oswaldo Paya pushed to change Cuba's one party socialist system. During a visit to Cuba nearly a decade ago, ex-president jimmy carter praised Paya's unsuccessful campaign to force a national referendum.
Cuba's state controlled media appeared to pay little attention to Paya over the years if only to call him and other dissidents traitors.
Now the crash that killed Paya has officials trying to play damage control: Oswaldo Paya's death has forced the Cuban officials to discuss what they call small factions of anti-government dissent.
What they haven't said yet is what will happen to the two survivors of the crash that took his life.
Seven minutes into the news conference, Aron Modig says he doesn't want to take any more questions.
Cuban authorities haven't said yet if anyone will face charges in the crash that took Paya's life, only that quote "the investigation is still ongoing."