Diario de Cuba, María Matienzo Puerto, Havana, 5 September 2015 — The mother of graffiti artist El Sexto (Danilo Maldonado), María Victoria Machado, following her visit to her son on Friday at Valle Grande prison, reports that her son’s case file is “lost.”
In statements to Diario de Cuba, Machado expressed her anguish over this development, as well as for the health of her son, and the sanitary conditions in the prison. Because of health reasons, the artist ceased the hunger strike he had recently announced.
“I was quite worried about the cold he had,” Machado said after having visited him in prison. “Although he had ceased the hunger strike, he barely touched any food. I could see he had no appetite.”
Likewise, his mother said that her primary concern is the disappearance of his case file. “What they want to do is to prolong his imprisonment with no charges filed, nor justice served. They have kicked us around. And nobody can explain the file’s disappearance.”
El Sexto told his mother how the inmates had gone for three days without drinking water, while an outbreak of dengue had led to daily fumigations at the prison.
Another reprisal inflicted on the artist is to cross off his list of approved visitors any friends deemed objectionable by State Security.
