CAMAGÜEY, Cuba. – Those who know him say that he is a very upright and fair man. Consistent with its principles and ideals. With great bravery and courage. And precisely, it requires great bravery and courage to spend 30 years of unjust sentence in Cuban prisons.
The Cuban political prisoner Miguel Díaz Bauzá, 81 years old, this Tuesday, October 15, marks three decades of imprisonment in the regime’s prisons. He was sanctioned by the Cuban Government to 30 years of deprivation of liberty for the alleged crimes of “infiltration”, “illegal entry into the country”, “terrorism” and “other acts against the security of the State” after landing on the Cuban coast in 1994. with the aim of organizing an armed uprising against the dictatorship of Fidel Castro.
The group was also composed of Armando Sosa Fortuny, Jesús Rojas Pineda, José Ramón Falcón Gómez, Pedro Visao Peña and Lázaro González Caraballo.
Bauzá, born in CaibarienVilla Clara, on March 19, 1948, is one of the oldest political prisoners in Cuba. Currently, he is being held in the “Campamento la 2” penitentiary center in Remedios, Villa Clara, after passing through several prisons in the country.
After so many years of confinement, he now has several health conditions such as psoriasis, diabetes, hypertension, prostate and circulation problems, which is why he requires constantly taking vitamins and other medications that are brought from abroad, he explained to CubaNet his daughter, Karen María León.
After 28 years of his sentence, the regime authorities began to authorize him to go home every two months. “When he comes on vacation, he tries to enjoy as much time as possible with his two granddaughters and three great-grandchildren, and with me, who is his daughter. He tries to take advantage of the time with his family, because it has been too long away from us,” said María León.
Karen says that, when Bauzá lived in the United States, he was a chef in large restaurants. In addition, when he was young he practiced boxing and “he really liked fishing.”
A source close to the now deceased political prisoner Armando Sosa Fortunywho asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, told CubaNet that Sosa always described Bauzá as “a patriot” and stressed that he had endured “tortures of all kinds, always firm to his convictions.”
For his part, former political prisoner Cecilio Pérez said that he met Bauzá when he received his first pass from prison. “I was at his daughter’s house in Santa Clara, that’s where I met him. A man with very high ethical and moral values; worthy of admiration. Faithful to his fight for the freedom of Cuba.”
In 2020, he was awarded the “Luis Boitel Freedom Award”, which is awarded annually by the Cuban Democratic Directorate in recognition of the exceptional work and leadership of the resistance within Cuba.
