From the Guanajay maximum security prison, Bello calls on “all his Cuban brothers” to maintain faith and hope in the midst of the crisis that the country is going through.
MADRID, Spain.- The Cuban political prisoner and independent journalist Jorge Bello Domínguez, sentenced to 15 years of deprivation of liberty for his participation in the protests of July 11, 2021 (11J) in Güira de Melena, sent a letter on the occasion of Christmas from the Guanajay maximum security prison, in the province of Artemisa, addressed to the Cuban people.
The content of the letter was sent by his mother, Martha Domínguez, to Martí Newswhich made the letter public.
From prison, the opponent dedicates his message to Cuban families inside and outside the Island, as well as to the relatives and friends of other political prisoners. In the letter, dated December 23, Bello addresses “all my Cuban brothers” and his “beloved people,” in a context marked by the deep social and economic crisis that the country is going through.
The inmate calls on people not to lose faith and to maintain hope, despite the conditions of confinement and the difficulties faced by citizens in Cuba. In his Christmas message, he also expresses his solidarity with those who suffer repression and with those who, from different spaces, defend political changes on the Island.
“Let us pray together for the freedom of Cuba, the political prisoners and that very soon we will get out of this terrible situation in which our Homeland is immersed,” he writes. The letter concludes with a brief greeting: “Merry Christmas Cuba.”
Bello Domínguez and his relatives have repeatedly reported mistreatment in prison, including lack of access to the medications he needs to treat diabetes and hypertension. The journalist, 49 years old, is diabetic and requires a specific diet and regular treatment with insulin.
At the end of last March was transferred without prior notice from the Combinado del Este to the Guanajay prison, a change that meant a considerable deterioration in his incarceration conditions.
The journalist is serving his sentence after being found guilty by a military court of the alleged crimes of continuous sabotage, robbery, public disorder and contempt, in relation to his participation in the 11J protests.
Bello Domínguez was a collaborator of CubaNet through the Network of Communicators coordinated by former political prisoner Martha Beatriz Roque.
