Madrid Spain.- The Cuban activist and former political prisoner Thais Mailén Franco, in the company of her eldest son, had to leave the country this Friday due to constant harassment by State Security.
“After all the slow and difficult process, on August 12 in the afternoon, despite the regrets, she and her eldest son, with a call to Compulsory Military Service and she with the threat of returning to prison, left Cuba. For obvious reasons, we prefer to keep the direction to where private,” said fellow activist Gretell Salermo in Facebook.
The post, shared by the group Thais FreedomForever Next to an image in which Franco is seen on the plane with teary eyes, he points out that “the resources that with great sacrifice on the part of those who donated, shared, helped, were not enough so that their two youngest children could go too.”
“On behalf of Thais, relatives, people close to me and well, we deeply appreciate all the supportive and selfless help that was received. We are in contact”, concludes the post.
The Cuban activist was one of the participants in the Obispo Street protest, which occurred in Old Havana in April 2021. For this reason, Franco remained in prison for almost five months.
Since her release under a precautionary measure on September 21, State Security has not stopped harassing, detaining and threatening her, both her and her family.
“I have been told to choose prison or exile. For me it is painful. I have left the country and have never stayed. But we know that State Security likes to add years as if they were lines that they are writing down in a notebook. I never stayed outside the country and now I am forced to leave. They told me like this: ‘If you stay in Cuba you will go to jail. If you stay you have to shut up and, if not, you have to go with your three children’”, Franco had denounced in statements to CubaNet.
Receive information from CubaNet on your cell phone through WhatsApp. Send us a message with the word “CUBA” on the phone +1 (786) 316-2072, You can also subscribe to our electronic newsletter by giving click here.
