MIAMI, United States. – The organization Youth for Resistance (JAR) reported this Thursday that the Cuban prison authorities have denied the transfer of political prisoner Lizandra Góngora, mother of five children, to a prison located on the territory of the island of Cuba, that is, closer to the area of residence of her family.
Góngora, sentenced to 14 years in prison for her participation in the protests of July 11, 2021remains confined to the Isle of Youth, which makes it difficult both for her to access the medical care she requires and for visits from her family.
Góngora’s husband, Ángel Delgado, has formally requested the transfer for months, arguing that the political prisoner suffers from fibroids (a health problem that requires medical supervision). However, the authorities responded that “there is no space” in prisons outside the Island, despite the fact that the family was willing to consider her in any prison in Matanzas, Pinar del Río or Mayabeque, in order to bring her closer to the residential environment. familiar.
According to JAR, Góngora received a document dated September and November on December 20, 2024, informing him that he only had 30 days to appeal the denial of his transfer to a prison closer to his family. “This late delivery makes it impossible for Lizandra to appeal in a timely manner,” the organization denounced.
For his part, the inmate’s husband recounts intense harassment by the authorities towards those who host them when they visit, as well as an extensive 15-hour trip, which implies additional obstacles for the family.
“No one should be imprisoned for peacefully protesting,” maintains JAR. However, her claim has focused on the urgent need for the political prisoner to be relocated: “This would not only guarantee better care for Lizandra, but would also reduce the enormous difficulties that her family faces in traveling and being able to see her,” the NGO.
Although Jóvenes por la Resistencia stressed that Lizandra’s immediate freedom continues to be its main demand, it emphasized the need for her transfer request to be attended to until she is released. “Until we can achieve his definitive release, we urge that he be allowed to serve his sentence near his loved ones, at least to alleviate Lizandra’s health conditions and the wear and tear on his family,” the organization concluded.
In March of this year, Góngora was hospitalized due to health complications, but, according to complaints from family members and activists, since her return to prison she has not received specialized medical care. The human rights organizations that are promoting his release have expressed their concern about the seriousness of his condition.
His five children, three of whom are minors, live in Mayabeque, more than 300 kilometers away from the prison, which has complicated visits and increased the family’s suffering.
According to a petition for his releasepublished on the Change.org platform, the distance between the prison and the family home is not coincidental. “This intentional distancing is a strategy of the regime to punish not only her, but also her children,” the campaign reads. The complaint indicates that this is a pattern of retaliation against political opponents in Cuba, who, in addition to facing unjust charges and imprisonment, suffer the indirect punishment of seeing their loved ones collaterally affected.
According to the petition, the children have been victims of bullying due to their mother’s political position, and the emotional situation has deteriorated further. One of their sons has begun to suffer seizures due to stress, while one of the youngest daughters has had to start working ironing clothes to contribute to supporting the family.
Góngora’s husband, for his part, has been the subject of pressure from the authorities. He has received warning letters threatening to take away custody of the children if they continue to miss classes to visit their mother in prison. This situation has compounded the suffering of the family, who face not only forced separation, but also the risk of greater government intervention in their daily lives.
The Change.org campaign highlights that despite all this, Góngora “has endured with admirable fortitude the injustices he has suffered since his arrest.” However, the urgency of acting is underlined due to the progressive deterioration of his health and the continued suffering of his family. The petition concludes with a call for the international community to join in demanding his release. “We cannot allow a mother who fought peacefully for the freedom of her people to continue being punished in such a cruel way,” the campaign states.
