MIAMI, United States. – Cuban political prisoner José Daniel Ferrer continues on hunger strike after several days without eating food, the opposition leader himself confirmed in a phone call from the Mar Verde prison, in Santiago de Cuba, held this Monday.
“I would rather die than surrender,” said the coordinator of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU). In the call, Ferrer made it clear that he will not stop his protest until the unfair and degrading conditions to which he is subjected are resolved.
He also described the prison environment in detail. “There are seven of us here. [presos] for now (…). The space should be for four, not for six or seven,” he explained. In addition, he denounced the lack of hygiene and insect infestation: “There is a plague of flies that does not leave you alone during the day (…), and at night bedbugs are abundant.”
According to the opponent, the authorities do “absolutely nothing” to improve these conditions, which worsens their health and comfort situation.
Ferrer also pointed out the absence of adequate medical care. “Have they given you any medical attention…?” asked his interlocutor during the call. The opponent’s response was forceful: “I don’t want it now,” he said, rejecting any possible assistance that he considers insufficient or manipulated.
Likewise, he reported the suspicion that he may have been inoculated with some substance through the wounds caused during a previous beating: “We don’t know if they inoculated something through those wounds because they didn’t even say what it was with.”
The communication reflected Ferrer’s growing concern for his safety and the lack of clear responses from prison authorities. Although an inmate who had allegedly stolen food from him was recently removed from his cell, the opponent continues to demand minimum sanitary conditions, including detergent and measures against insect infestation.
While Ferrer remains on hunger strike, his family and supporters look for tangible evidence of improvements. “The only way for us to say that you have already left the strike is when they show us that they have given you the sack.” [de alimentos] and that you are face to face with us,” warned the person on the other end of the line.
The opponent confirmed his determination: “I don’t feel well, but I am going to resist and I am going to continue (…) until this situation that they have created against me is resolved.”
The opposition leader also expressed his solidarity with other political prisoners and their families, and sent his “gratitude” and “gratitude” to those who spread the word about their situation. However, he regretted that telephone communication is restricted: “It is 10 minutes that can be cut off at any time,” he said.
The call concluded with Ferrer sending a “very big hug” to his relatives and reiterating that he will not give in: “José Daniel prefers to die than surrender,” he said.
Ferrer has been detained since July 11, 2021 for trying to access the place where the massive protests that day were taking place in their province. A month later, a four-year prison sentence that he had been serving since 2020 in house confinement was revoked.
