Havana/Two minors, including a pregnant woman, are among the 13 new political prisoners registered in Cuba in the latest report by Prisoners Defenders, published this Wednesday. The total number of detainees for political reasons remains at 1,185, the same as reported in September, because 13 people were released, 12 of whom completed their sentences.
In the statement, the organization, based in Madrid, details the case of the young people Leroy Hernández Escalona and Eliane Martín, both detained in Las Tunas during a police operation after the Maniabón protests, on September 17, where dozens of neighbors took to the streets to complain about the prolonged power outages and lack of water.
Regarding the detention of the minor, who was 16 years old and pregnant at the time of her arrest, Prisoners Defenders said that it has aroused deep concern among human rights organizations, given her double character as a minor and a pregnant woman, which considerably aggravates her vulnerability.
Prisoners Defenders said it has raised deep concern among human rights organizations
Prisoners Defenders pointed out that, according to the complaints received, Martín was deprived of liberty without judicial protection, without procedural guarantees, independent legal advice or family support, “and to date there has been no official information about her state of health or the exact place where she is detained, despite the repeated demands of her family and local activists.”
The case of the woman from Las Tunas, he noted, “has become a symbol of the extreme level of repression that reaches even minors and pregnant women in Cuba, persecuted for the simple fact of participating or being linked to peaceful demonstrations.”
As for Leroy Hernández, 17 years old, he was also detained without judicial protection in the context of the same demonstrations in the town of Maniabón. For now, he is being held at the Las Tunas Provincial Instruction headquarters, a facility that his entourage describes as “a torture center,” due to the mistreatment, inhuman conditions and coercive practices that are repeatedly reported there.
State Security agents accuse Hernández and other young people detained in the same operation – such as Pedro Luis Bello, Eliane Martín’s partner – of having tried to “attack the Police sector” in the city. However, witnesses, as well as their family environment, say that the protest was completely peaceful, Prisoners Defenders noted.
They are accused of “enemy propaganda”, “public disorder”, “attack” and “sabotage” for participating in protests
The report emphasizes the repression of freedom of expression in the country and points out that the new 13 political prisoners reported in the last month – four of them women – are accused of “enemy propaganda”, “public disorder”, “attack” and “sabotage” for participating in protests or expressing discontent on social networks.
In all cases, “the detainees remain in provisional detention or pending trial or sentence without judicial protection, without access to effective independent legal defense and without immediate communication with family members.”
From July 1, 2021 until the end of last September, Cuba has had a total of 1,895 political prisoners in its prisons. In the last year, the list of political prisoners totaled 152 (an average of 13 new political prisoners each month), “all of them tortured.”
Among political prisoners, 472 are currently reported to have serious medical illnesses, and there are 40 who suffer from mental health pathologies without adequate medical or psychiatric treatment.
Prisoners Defenders also highlighted the departure of José Daniel Ferrer and Luis Robles Elizastigui from the country on October 13.
Finally, in its monthly report, Prisoners Defenders also highlighted the country’s departure from Jose Daniel Ferrer and Luis Robles Elizastiguion October 13, “which marks a milestone in the fight for freedom and human rights in Cuba.”
Ferrer He was released and left the country heading to Miami. That day, in a press conference, he said that “Cuba’s prisons are hell; Dante in his divine comedy It does not describe a hell like Cuban prisons.” In his message, he appeared with a Cuban flag draped over his shoulders and promised to return “as soon as possible” to “put an end to the dictatorship.”
As for Robles Elizastigui, the “banner young man“, arrived in Madrid from Cuba, along with his mother, Yindra Elizastigui, and his seven-year-old son. The 32-year-old, considered a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, was one of those released last January during the mass releases of prisoners as part of an agreement with the then Government of Joe Biden.
Both cases, Prisoners Defenders said, “represent two generations, but the same cause: that of a people determined to achieve their freedom and rebuild their future.”
