Prisoners Subjected to Forced Labor / Yaxiel Espino Acebal

cubanos-campoCIENFUEGOS, Cuba . – At least ten of the inmates of the “Soler” Open Prison located on the national highway on the stretch that passes Km 259 at the elevation of the Ranchuelo municipality, in villa Clara province, are forced to work for the prison authorities without their effort being rewarded with wages.

One of the affected told that reporter that the top man responsible for the policy if the Chief of the Camp names Luis Negrin Dobato, which has established a reign of terror, such that if the prisoner refuses the work, he loses all “benefits” which consist of conjugal visits, food brought by their families, or the passes to visit their homes.

Another of the punishments is putting the names of the resisters on a wall in the recreation area of the prison where most of the prisoners visit.

When a prisoner has committed a serious breach of discipline, such as attempted escape or assault on other inmate, extreme measures are adopted, such as denying them access to the hospitals in the city.

To these mandatory disciplinary punishments area added the terrible food, the absence of an optional menu and the changes in the weight of the rules.

According to our source, the Head of Re-eduction named Eduardo Adrián Rodríguez, demands from the inmates who work in the dining room provide a certain amount of food for him to feed to the pigs he raises at home.

Cubanet, 17 February 2014, Yaxiel Espino Acebal