José Daniel Ferrer: Proof That Truth and Dignity Terrify Tyrants

José Daniel Ferrer wrapped in the Cuban flag at Miami International Airport upon arrival after being forced to exile. October 13,. 2025

October 13, 2025 – Ontario, Canada.

DEMOCRATIC SPACES, a Canadian rights-based non-governmental organization dedicated to the defense of democracy and human rights, expresses its solidarity with Cuban pro-democracy leader and four-time prisoner of conscience José Daniel Ferrer, who has arrived in the United States after being forced into exile.

After enduring years of brutal physical and psychological torture, and under repeated threats to the integrity and safety of his family, José Daniel Ferrer has been compelled by the Cuban dictatorship to leave his homeland. His arrival in exile does not mark the end of his struggle, but the continuation of a lifelong commitment to the peaceful pursuit of freedom, justice, and human dignity for the Cuban people.

José Daniel Ferrer speaks at a press conference at the Cuban Museum of the Diaspora, reminding the world that the fight for democracy in Cuba is a global cause. After months of torture and brutal beatings at Mar Verde Prison, his voice rises stronger than ever. October 13, 2025.

José Daniel Ferrer, Cuban pro democracy leader and four time prisoner of conscience who spent a total of about 13 years in jail at different times has been forced to exile. Photo at the airport in Santiago de Cuba. Courtesy of Ferrer’s family/FB.

For more than three decades, Ferrer has stood as one of Cuba’s most steadfast and respected voices for democratic change. From his early days as the eastern regional coordinator of the Varela Project—a historic citizen initiative that sought constitutional reform and democratic guarantees through a national referendum—to his founding in 2011, in Santiago de Cuba, of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), Ferrer has embodied moral courage and civic leadership. Under his direction, UNPACU has organized peaceful protests, provided humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable, and denounced systematic human rights abuses before the international community.

Even though his release and forced exile were deliberately timed to coincide with the release of Israeli hostages—an attempt by the Cuban regime to cross the news cycle and minimize coverage—we will make this story visible. The struggle for Cuba’s freedom cannot and will not be buried under the manipulation of global headlines.

José Daniel Ferrer with Rosa María Payá, Commissioner of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and founder of the CubaDecide civic initiative. Cuban Museum of the Diaspora, October 13, 2025.

From Democratic Spaces, we extend our deepest admiration and solidarity to José Daniel Ferrer and his family. You are, and will remain, a hero of liberty—a symbol of Cuba’s unyielding will to be free.

Your example reminds us that the struggle for democracy and human rights transcends borders. It lives in every conscience committed to truth, justice, and the dignity of the Cuban people.

Welcome, José Daniel Ferrer. Our gratitude for all you have done—and all you will continue to do—for the freedom of Cuba.

Video from June 4, 2020. José Daniel Ferrer García speaks with Michael Lima, Director of Democratic Spaces, and members of the Patriotic Union of Cuba, Carlos Amel Oliva and Ernesto Oliva, about the significance of the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy movement and the massacre ordered by the Chinese Communist Party for Cuban democracy defenders. Ferrer reaffirms the spirit of viewing the struggle for democracy as universal—one that concerns Cubans, Chinese, Venezuelans, Nicaraguans, Iranians, Russians, Belarusians, and all who fight for freedom and democracy.

13 de octubre de 2025 – Ontario, Canadá.
DEMOCRATIC SPACES, una organización canadiense de derechos humanos dedicada a la defensa de la democracia y los derechos fundamentales, expresa su solidaridad con el líder prodemocracia cubano y cuatro veces preso de conciencia José Daniel Ferrer, quien ha llegado a Estados Unidos tras haber sido forzado al exilio.

Después de soportar años de brutales torturas físicas y psicológicas, y bajo reiteradas amenazas contra la integridad y seguridad de su familia, José Daniel Ferrer ha sido obligado por la dictadura cubana a abandonar su patria. Su llegada al exilio no marca el fin de su lucha, sino la continuación de un compromiso de toda una vida con la defensa pacífica de la libertad, la justicia y la dignidad humana del pueblo cubano.

Durante más de tres décadas, Ferrer ha sido una de las voces más firmes y respetadas por el cambio democrático en Cuba. Desde sus primeros días como coordinador oriental del Proyecto Varela —una histórica iniciativa ciudadana que buscó reformas constitucionales y garantías democráticas mediante un referendo nacional— hasta la fundación en 2011 de la Unión Patriótica de Cuba (UNPACU) en Santiago de Cuba, Ferrer ha encarnado el valor moral y el liderazgo cívico. Bajo su dirección, UNPACU ha organizado protestas pacíficas, brindado ayuda humanitaria a los más vulnerables y denunciado ante la comunidad internacional las violaciones sistemáticas de derechos humanos cometidas por el régimen.

Aunque su liberación y exilio forzado fueron deliberadamente programados para coincidir con la liberación de rehenes israelíes, en un intento del régimen cubano de cruzar el ciclo noticioso y minimizar la cobertura mediática, nosotros haremos visible esta noticia. La lucha por la libertad de Cuba no puede ni podrá ser silenciada bajo la manipulación de los titulares mundiales.

Desde Democratic Spaces, expresamos nuestra más profunda admiración y solidaridad con José Daniel Ferrer y su familia. Usted es y seguirá siendo un héroe de la libertad, símbolo de la voluntad inquebrantable del pueblo cubano de ser libre.

Su ejemplo nos recuerda que la lucha por la democracia y los derechos humanos trasciende fronteras. Vive en toda conciencia comprometida con la verdad, la justicia y la dignidad del ser humano.

Bienvenido, José Daniel Ferrer. Nuestra gratitud por todo lo que ha hecho —y seguirá haciendo— por la libertad de Cuba.

Testimony of José Daniel Ferrer of a brutal beating he suffered at the hands of Lieutenant Pineda, Mar Verde Prison Warden in Santiago de Cuba and other thugs on December 9. 2022. Audio recording from a phone conversation with his wife Dr. Nelva Ortega on December 22. 2022. This is an example based on evidence from his wife and two children of torture on political prisoners in Cuba. Political imprisonment & torture constitute the greatest of all human rights violations perpetrated by the dictatorship in Cuba against peaceful activists demanding human rights, inclusion and democracy.