The Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba denounces their direct involvement in acts of torture against the opposition.
14ymedio, Havana, July 10, 2025 — The Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba has included five prison officials from Mar Verde, Santiago de Cuba, in its database of Cuban Repressors for their direct participation in acts of torture against the opposition and prisoner of conscience José Daniel Ferrer García.
According to the wife of the leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), Nelva Ismarays Ortega Tamayo, Ferrer was brutally beaten on June 25, after declaring a hunger strike in protest of ill-treatment and to assert his refusal to wear the uniform of a common prisoner. “He was beaten everywhere: head, arms, legs, abdomen, back, kicked, slapped and punched, until he defecated on himself,” said Ortega after visiting him on July 5.
All five officials have been added to the list of Cuban Repressors
The attack was led by Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Pineda Guerra, head of the penitentiary, and involved Colonel Adalberto Andreu Chacón, second in command; Captain José Miguel Hechavarría Gorguet, head of Internal Order; Major José Luis Yáñez Herrera, head of Educational Treatment; and Captain Livan Laugart Riquelme, head of the Collective. All five officers have been placed on the list of Cuban repressors.
In addition to the initial beating, Ferrer was subjected to more physical and psychological punishment. According to the complaint, six common prisoners were allegedly used as “hitmen” to continue the aggression, as “a systematic repressive pattern against dissidents.” His fingers and wrists were also twisted; he was forced to drink milk in order to stop fasting, and he was deprived of basic hygiene for at least 48 hours.
They are accused of violating Rule 1 of the UN Mandela Rules
“They are accused of crimes against humanity by torture and persecution for political reasons, in addition to violating Rule 1 of the UN Mandela Rules and Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” said the Foundation.
The Foundation sees these abuses as a reprisal by the Cuban regime for the humanitarian campaign that Ferrer launched from his home in the Altamira neighborhood of Santiago de Cuba, before his re-incarceration in April this year. At that time, his release from prison in January, awarded as part of an agreement brokered by the Vatican, was revoked.
Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Pineda Guerra has already been on the list of Cuban Repressors since 2023, when he was held responsible for keeping Ferrer incommunicado for more than three months.
The Foundation attaches the files of each officer with detailed documentation and photographs
In its publication, the Foundation attaches the files of each officer with detailed documentation and photographs. It charges them with beatings, physical abuse, intimidation, threats and violations of international humanitarian law.
Since its inception, the Foundation has sought to make visible those directly responsible for repression on the Island. Inclusion in its database means that these individuals could face future legal consequences if they are tried in international courts for their actions.
“Ferrer’s case once again shows that the Cuban penitentiary system is not designed for reintegration or justice, but as a tool of political punishment,” concludes the report.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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