MADRID, Spain.- The human rights organization Cubalex denounced This Monday, September 2, the alarming state of health of Cuban political prisoner Carlos Manuel Pupo Rodríguez, national coordinator of the Union for Free Cuba Party (PUNCLI), who is in a critical condition due to the lack of adequate medical care in prison.
Pupo Rodríguez, 70, is facing a serious diabetes decompensation, with dangerously low sugar levels, which constitutes a medical emergency.
On August 31, despite his delicate condition, Pupo was transferred from the camp where he was being held to the Guanajay prison in the province of Artemisa, which has generated even more concern among his relatives.
According to reports from a member of the national leadership of PUNCLI who contacted Cubalex, Pupo managed to make a phone call from prison on Sunday, but his words were slurred and barely understandable, a reflection of his physical deterioration. Cubalex expressed concern that Pupo might suffer ischemia due to low blood sugar levels.
At 70 years old, Pupo He is one of the oldest Cuban political prisoners, making him one of the most vulnerable in the island’s prison system. Since his arrest, his health has been in constant decline, aggravated by the lack of access to essential medications to treat his diabetes and hypertension.
Pupo Rodríguez’s deteriorating health is not an isolated incident. In mid-August, he suffered a fall in prison while going to the bathroom with a water tank. He hit his head and a leg that had been operated on badly. Despite the seriousness of these incidents, he has not received the necessary medical attention, which has further worsened his already fragile condition.
Pupo Rodríguez was sentenced to six years in prison for his participation in the protests of July 11 and 12, 2021 (11J) in San Antonio de los Baños, Artemisa province. Before his arrest, in addition to leading PUNCLI, he was one of the promoters of the Emilia Project, an initiative that advocates for democratic changes in the country.
Pupo’s history of abuse is extensive. In 1975, he was shot in the abdomen by an Interior Ministry officer (MININT). In 1992, he lost the sight in one eye after being brutally beaten for interfering in the beating of another person by several MININT officers. In 2017, he was assaulted by Major Osvaldo Ramírez, which caused a fracture in his femur that required surgery and the placement of screws. Paradoxically, after this incident, he was sentenced to one year of house arrest.
