MIAMI, United States. – The Cubalex Legal Information Center reported this Wednesday the death of inmate Jorge Luis Torres Vaillant, alias “El Trillizo,” who died on December 9, just one day after the authorities granted him an extra-penal license.
Torres Vaillant was confined in the Boniato prison, in Santiago de Cubaand was seriously ill, malnourished and had not received adequate medical care, according to Cubalex.
“He died of hunger, he could not assimilate the serums and he was malnourished. They gave him the [licencia] extrapenal so that he would die at home,” assured the activist Ana Belkis Ferrer.
According to this source, Torres Vaillant had been seeking medical attention for 28 days due to a persistent fever, without obtaining the necessary treatment. He was only taken to the medical station for brief periods before being returned to his detachment, number 16 in the prison.
⚠️⚠️ #CubalexDenuncia | The inmate Jorge Luis Torres Vaillant, known as “El Trillizo”, died on December 9, one day after receiving an extra-penal license, after being subjected to inhuman conditions and not receiving adequate medical care in the Boniato prison, in… pic.twitter.com/oEkSUxXFwZ
— Cubalex (@CubalexDDHH) December 11, 2024
The inmate, a native of El Salao, in Santiago de Cuba, was hospitalized 10 days ago, but on December 8 he received extra-penal leave, a mechanism that, according to Cubalex, the authorities frequently use to evade their responsibility in case of deaths of internal.
The organization also warned the authorities that they are obliged to investigate this death.
Just this Tuesday, International Human Rights Day, the organization Justicia 11J denounced that at least four people convicted for their participation in the anti-government protests of July 11, 2021 (11J) They had lost their lives while serving their sentences in Cuban prisons.
These deaths, attributed to the island’s regime “by direct commission, or by negligence and abandonment in the fulfillment of its obligations,” aggravate the complaints about the terrible state of human rights in Cuba.
According to the most recent Justice 11J bulletinthe deceased are Luis Barrios, Yosandri Mulet, Giraldo Díaz and Manuel de Jesus Guillén Esplugas. The NGO maintains that the circumstances surrounding these cases “have not been clarified through a reliable and independent investigation,” which increases suspicions about state responsibility in these events.
Furthermore, these deaths reflect, according to the organization, the serious situation faced by political prisoners in the country. The persistence of complaints about lack of medical care, unsanitary conditions, torture and mistreatment reinforces the perception that the Cuban State is failing to fulfill its obligations to safeguard the life and integrity of those in its custody.
Justicia 11J recalled that this reality is not limited to deaths in prison. In previous reports, such as “Another year without justice (2024)” and “Forced exiles after 11J”, the organization has documented the Havana regime’s systematic disrespect for fundamental rights. Furthermore, the NGO points out that many former political prisoners have been forced into exile, seeking to escape a repressive environment and constant harassment.
