Andy Garcia’s Lawyer Confirms His Transfer to Guamajal Prison in Villa Clara

Andy García Lorenzo’s family members went to the prison to ask about the activist. (Facebook)

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Luz Escobar, Havana, December 8, 2021 — On Tuesday, Cuban political prisoner Andy García Lorenzo, detained following the protests on July 11th (11J), received a visit from his lawyer at the Guamajal prison in Villa Clara, where he had been transferred last week from La Pendiente prison in that same province. The young man’s family had presented a habeas corpus petition before the People’s Provincial Tribunal last Monday to request information about “his physical and psychological condition” after losing touch with the activist.

“The lawyer was able to see him. He was there for a bit over an hour with Andy,” the young man’s sister, Roxana García, told 14ymedio. “We still do not have details about why he was transferred but he [the lawyer] told us he was well. He sent us word that he was neither mistreated nor beaten. All we know is that he was transferred to Guamajal and that we will be able to see him this Friday, which is visitation day.”

Family members still have no news about a trial date and stated that García Lorenzo did not participate in the protests some of the prisoners in La Pendiente prison staged a few days ago. From that prison, several sources had denounced to his family that an unknown number of prisoners were transferred and their whereabouts were unknown, a situation which was denounced by several human rights activists and Archipiélago.

García Lorenzo is accused of “public disorder” and “contempt” following his participation in the protests of 11J and for which the prosecutor’s office is seeking seven years in prison.

His family members have demanded the activist’s release on several occasions. On November 15 they stood outside of their front door, dressed in white, as a way of responding to the call for the Civic March launched by Archipiélago. Furthermore, they have created a support network for political prisoners and a Help Group which has begun to receive and distribute donations among prisoners.

“This group was created with the objective of providing economic assistance, through the so-called sacks of food and other initiatives, to political prisoners in communist regime jails for the 11J protests,” states the information describing the initiative on Facebook. “Today these guys are subjected to abandonment by the dictatorial Government. Let’s try to make their days less difficult under these conditions until our country is free.”

In a conversation with this daily, Roxana García explained that “we’ve already collected quite a bit of money,” and that, although at the beginning, they did not have much contact with family members of prisoners, they’ve been able to advance their objectives.

On the other hand, on Tuesday, we learned that the trial for Luis Robles Elizastigui, “the young man with the placard” asking for freedom along San Rafael Boulevard in Havana a year ago, will take place on December 16th.

His brother, Landy Fernández Elizastigui, told 14ymedio his mother received the news in a call from an official from the Provincial Tribunal fo Havana. Fernández stated that Robles has been in jail for a year and that, according to his investigative file, the prosecutor accuses him of “enemy propaganda” and “resistance” and seeks six years in prison.

Luis Robles is the father of a young boy who recently turned two. His trial was scheduled for July 16th, but was postponed due to the 11J protests. The activist has denounced from jail that he has been tortured and mistreated; he was declared a prisoner of conscience this year by the NGO Prisoners Defenders.

Translated by: Silvia Suárez

____________

COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.