Havana Cuba. — From the Guantánamo provincial prison, in eastern Cuba, the prisoner Arturo Acosta Ramos demands to be returned to Havana, his province of origin and residence, from where he was removed in retaliation for sympathizing with the demonstrators imprisoned after the popular protests of July 11, 2021.
Through a telephone conversation, Arturo Acosta Ramos explained that he is from Vedado, a neighborhood belonging to the Plaza de la Revolución municipality, in the country’s capital. He was transferred from the Combinado del Este to Guantánamo on July 20, 2022 as punishment for helping and collaborating with the 9/11 protesters. According to him, the military made him believe that they were transferring him to a western province; instead, they led him to the east of the island.
On previous occasions, the prisoner has denounced that a few days after entering the Guantanamo provincial prison, he was attacked by some inmates and all his belongings were stolen. He went on a hunger strike for twelve days in protest, but his personal belongings never turned up.
Acosta Ramos regretted that in Guantánamo he has no relatives or acquaintances who can visit him. Nor can his father take care of him, since his 74 years of age and paralysis on the left side of his body prevent him from making the trips from Havana. The prisoner added that the prison authorities promised to transfer him to Santiago de Cuba, where he has a sister who could take care of him. Even the prison director himself, Lieutenant Colonel Marcelino Bueno Tavera, encouraged him to request the transfer. However, Acosta Ramos affirmed, he has already submitted seven requests without receiving an answer to date.
Testimony of prisoner Arturo Acosta Ramos
The prisoner also announced that on November 9, as a result of another hunger strike that he maintained for five days demanding a response, Lieutenant Colonel Georvis Cajigal Cantillo —Director of Jails and Prisons for the eastern province— showed him a document where the writing “transfer to Santiago de Cuba” appeared. However, he stressed, that alleged order to date has not been complied with.
Likewise, Major Rober (Head of Educational Treatment) assured him that his transfer had been approved. However, he emphasized, although the military alleges that at the moment there are no transfer possibilities to Santiago de Cuba, he is aware that at least four prisoners have been transferred to that province.
The prisoner also revealed that on December 11, he was taken to the Internal Order office, where the head of the prison and other officials who did not identify themselves (a major from State Security and a DTI officer) threatened to suspend him indefinitely right to speak by phone if he continued to denounce the violations perpetrated in the prison facility.
Arturo Acosta Ramos, 53 years old, pointed out that he suffers from duodenal ulcer and chronic gastritis, and stressed that the deplorable conditions and shortage of food in the prison, added to the hunger strikes, have caused him considerable weight loss. .
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