US officials condemn death of political prisoner Manuel Guillén Esplugas

MIAMI, United States. – The death of the Cuban political prisoner Manuel de Jesús Guillén Esplugas in the Combinado del Este prison in Havana, has generated strong reactions from senior US officials, who held the Cuban regime responsible for what happened and demanded accountability.

Cuban-American Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart rated X the Cuban regime as a “murderer” and affirmed that it is “solely responsible for the death of Manuel De Jesús Guillén Esplugas for the ‘crime’ of peacefully protesting during 11J.” In the same publication he added: “The days of the regime are numbered. Unilateral concessions under the Biden-Harris administration will soon end. “True accountability comes under the leadership of Donald Trump.”

For his part, Brian A. Nichols, US Undersecretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, expressed his dismay at the death of Guillén Esplugas. “More than three years ago, Manuel de Jesús Guillén Esplugas was sentenced to six years in prison for the simple act of recording and publishing videos of the 11J protests. Unfortunately, today we learned of his death in a Cuban prison amid reports of torture,” he wrote in X.

Nichols also noted that this incident “continues an egregious trend of mistreatment by Cuban authorities in recent weeks, including the beating of José Daniel Ferrer.” He stressed that “Manuel should remain alive, and the remaining political prisoners should be released immediately.”

Relatives of Guillén Esplugas have questioned the official version of his death. His cousin, Yan Franco, shared on Facebook that the authorities allege that Manuel “hanged himself.” However, Franco denounced: “The mark on his neck is not from a sheet, it is from a guards’ belt,” casting doubt on the explanation offered by the regime.

Manuel de Jesús Guillén Esplugas, promoter of Cuba Decide and member of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), was serving a six-year prison sentence after participating in the protests on July 11, 2021. According to reports from the rights group Human Justice 11J, would have received a beating in a punishment cell after an escape attempt.

In April, Guillén Esplugas had reported the precarious conditions in the prison to the Cuban Prison Documentation Center, pointing out that he was being held alongside common prisoners convicted of violent crimes. He also mentioned problems such as bedbug and rat infestations, poor diet, and the jailers’ refusal to provide medical assistance to treat skin diseases such as scabies.

Justicia 11J reported that this would be the third verified prison death of a protester from the social outbreak of July 2021. In addition, it would become the 72nd death in prison recorded by the Cuban Prison Documentation Center since 2023.

The center documented that at least 32 inmates have lost their lives due to negligence or lack of medical care, and another nine have taken their lives in Cuban prisons between March 2023 and June 2024. “We compiled 2,395 events that show the humiliations they suffer. Cubans deprived of liberty,” the institution noted, highlighting that the lack of direct access to prisons may mean that these figures are underreported.

The Combinado del Este prison, where Guillén Esplugas died, is the one with the highest number of complaints for repressive events, with 315 reports in the aforementioned period. “The most recurrent vulnerability among victims is that of being a political prisoner,” the organization emphasized. “These events are more visible in the case of political prisoners, who denounce them more through the media, opposition and human rights organizations.”