MIAMI, United States. – The President of the United States, Joe Biden, called for the release of Cuban political prisoners this Friday, the eve of International Human Rights Day.
“While we hope to honor Human Rights Day this Saturday, December 10, I call once again for the release of the hundreds of political prisoners in Cuba who remain detained after the protests of July 11, 2021,” he begins. Biden’s statement.
The US president also acknowledged that the 9/11 protesters “bravely exercised their fundamental freedoms, including the rights to free speech and peaceful assembly.”
“The United States stands with the Cuban people as they defend their human rights and weigh in on the future of Cuba. We will continue to advocate for the release of all those who were imprisoned in this brutal crackdown and we will continue to hold Cuban officials accountable for the violence against peaceful protests,” he concluded.
It is not the first time that the White House demands the release of the Cuban political prisoners of 11J. On July 11, when the first anniversary of the historic demonstrations that shook the Island in 2021 was celebrated, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Twitter that the detained protesters should be returned home to their families.
On that occasion, the official also recalled that the Cuban regime had sentenced more than 550 protesters to more than 4,000 combined years in prison and other punitive measures.
According to the NGO Prisoners Defenders, at the end of October 2022, the Cuban regime had 1,027 people imprisoned for political reasons. Of them, 34 were minors (29 boys and five girls); 26 were serving sentences and eight were being criminally prosecuted.
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