MIAMI, United States. – The Cubalex Legal Information Center reported that political prisoner Carlos Manuel Pupo Rodríguez, national coordinator of the Union for Free Cuba Party (PUNCLI) and detained during the protests of July 11, 2021, was discharged this Saturday after undergoing a CT scan to assess the brain damage caused by an ischemia suffered during his time in prison.
According to information provided to Cubalex, although Pupo Rodríguez’s blood pressure and sugar levels are “relatively stable,” his health remains “delicate.” In addition, a source revealed to the organization that Pupo Rodríguez was receiving treatment for a kidney infection last Friday.
Pupo Rodríguez is currently at home, where doctors have recommended that he keep strict control of his blood pressure and blood sugar levels, due to the severity of his condition.
Last Thursday transcended that the Cuban regime had granted Pupo Rodríguez an extra-penal license. The 70-year-old political prisoner suffered a cerebral ischemia that seriously affected the right side of his body: it left him without mobility in his arm and leg and with an evident deviation in his mouth, according to reported Cubalex.
Despite his worsening condition, Pupo was transferred to the Guanajay prison from a camp where he was being held. It was not until his condition worsened dramatically that the authorities decided to take him to the “Comandante Ciro Redondo” General Hospital in Artemisa.
Cubalex reported that Pupo had suffered a transient ischemia on Saturday, September 7, and did not receive the necessary medical attention, which triggered a second, more severe ischemia on Tuesday, September 10.
Pupo Rodríguez’s health deterioration is not recent. Since his arrest in 2021 for participating in the July 11 protests (11J) in San Antonio de los Baños, his physical condition has been in constant decline. Pupo suffers from diabetes and hypertension, but, according to reports, has not had access to essential medications to control these conditions. In mid-August, he suffered a fall in prison while going to the bathroom, which caused a strong blow to his head and to a previously operated leg.