José Daniel Ferrer, Cuban prisoner of conscience in serious health condition
The Cuban dictatorship has been in the oppression business for over six decades. They don't hang opposition members on cranes in Revolution Square; they kill them in "traffic accidents," harass them, intimidate them, force them into enforced house arrests, or throw them in prison and slowly torture them. They don't resort to raw terror methods like the theocratic killers in Iran; instead, they prefer to slowly torture political prisoners, inflicting gradual physical and psychological harm, injecting diseases, making them sick, and forcing them into forced exile.
In a video released on June 22nd, Ana Belkis Ferrer, sister of Cuban pro-democracy leader and prisoner of conscience José Daniel Ferrer, boldly exposes the systematic torture he has endured over the past three months, during which he has been subjected to enforced disappearance. She recounts the visit of his wife, Dr. Nelva Ortega, and two of his children to his punishment cell in Mar Verde Prison located in Santiago de Cuba on June 22nd.
José Daniel shared his ordeal, describing excruciating pain in his arms and legs that rendered him unable to walk throughout April and May. His family reports a significant weight loss. The presence of harmful bacteria in his body prevented him from even embracing his loved ones, fearing the risk of contagion. He also suffered from intense toothaches. As a twisted form of torture, the regime took him to a hospital to extract a healthy tooth while leaving the decayed ones intact. Subsequently, a State Security agent visited his cell, attempting to coerce him into accepting forced exile.
Over six decades, the Cuban dictatorship has showcased its ruthlessness towards anyone who dares to raise their voice in pursuit of freedom and challenge their authority. They displayed utmost brutality towards prisoners of conscience like Pedro Luis Boitel, creating the circumstances that led to his death after months of a hunger strike protesting against the brutal treatment he endured in 1972. They orchestrated the murders of pro-democracy leaders Oswaldo Payá and Harold Cepero, as documented in a report published on June 7th by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
The Cuban dictatorship has imprisoned nearly all pro-democracy leaders in Cuba, forcing others into exile. Now, they have unleashed their full repertoire of repressive tactics, employing physical and psychological torture to coerce José Daniel into leaving his homeland. José Daniel, one of the few prisoners of conscience from the Black Spring of 2003 who refused exile as a condition for release, bravely opted to stay in Cuba. Since then, he founded the Patriotic Union of Cuba, leading public protests, acts of resistance, and numerous peaceful actions for freedom throughout the past decade.
José Daniel still holds onto hope of emerging from that prison alive, but he calls on all of us to remember that even if he doesn't, he sacrificed his life for the freedom of the Cuban people.
We owe a profound moral debt of gratitude to José Daniel Ferrer and all those imprisoned in Cuba for exercising their fundamental human rights. José Daniel has stood as an unwavering advocate for the release of political prisoners, enduring hunger strikes and engaging in civic resistance actions for democracy and freedom in Cuba for decades. It is now our solemn duty to unite our efforts in demanding the immediate and unconditional release of José Daniel Ferrer from all democratic governments, across Canada, Europe, and worldwide organizations. Dictatorships thrive on erasing pro-democracy defenders from memory.
As defenders of democracy, it is our responsibility to bring their atrocities into the light and ensure their visibility.