MIAMI, United States. — The massive nature of the protests in Cuba in recent years and the consequent increase in the number of political prisoners have increased the repressive specter of the Cuban regime, which is not only limited to repressing activists and opponents, but also family members of imprisoned dissidents.
Sayli Núñez and Bárbara Farrat Guillen are two of the cases that demonstrate the cruelty of the Castro repressive apparatus against the relatives of the victims. Mothers of the protesters of July 11, 2021 (11J) Maikel Puig Bergolla and Jonathan Torres Farrat, both women have been harassed and persecuted solely for demanding the release of their loved ones.
Maikel Puig Bergolla and the hell of a family
The political prisoner Maikel Puig Bergolla, who was arrested for participating in the 11J anti-government protests in the municipality of Güines, Mayabeque province, was tried along with seven other protesters in an oral hearing that began on January 12 and would last for three days.
Puig Bergolla was sentenced to 20 years in prison, a sentence that was reduced to 14 years after his wife filed an appeal.
Sayli Núñez has declared on several occasions that, despite the fact that her husband’s sentence was reduced, she considers the decision of the Cuban regime unfair.
“July 11 changed my family’s life. In fact, they broke it. They broke my family. All a horror. I have been one of the people I have not stopped denouncing,” the woman told CubaNet in an interview offered to the journalist and audiovisual producer Yaima Pardo.
The wife of the political prisoner confessed that, during all the time that Puig has been imprisoned, she and her family have felt the full weight of the repression
“What motivation can I give to keep quiet and what justification? To shut up would be an act of cowardice on my part, ”said the woman, who, despite her adversity, continues to demand freedom for her husband.
The case of Barbara Farrat
Mother of the young Jonathan Torres Farrat, who spent several months in detention for participating in the 11J protests, Bárbara Farrat Guillén came out of anonymity to become a symbol of the resistance of the mothers of political prisoners.
Her activism and successive complaints ended with the release of her son, who was not present at the birth of her baby because he was in prison.
Since she began her activism, Bárbara has faced obstacles in finding work to support her family.
“I had to hand in the self-employment license, just like my husband, who repaired kitchens,” explained Farrat, who revealed the difficult circumstances in which his family has survived over the past year.
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