Two hunger strikes have left the activist’s weight at 39 kilos (86 pounds), according to nearby sources
14ymedio, Madrid, 23 July 2024 — Independent journalist and political prisoner Carlos Michael Morales has been sentenced to eight months of house arrest in a trial that was finally held on Monday, July 22. The activist, who has carried out two hunger strikes in protest against his situation, has made public several images in which one can see the physical deterioration he suffered during that time. The Facebook profile La Tijera affirms that his current weight is just 39 kilos (86 pounds).
Morales spent two years and 10 months in prison for demonstrating on 11 July 2021 in the anti-government protests in Caibarién, Villa Clara. After his release, last March, he was arrested again on May 4 for an alleged crime of disobedience.
The order says that Morales was summoned on two occasions for an interview, on April 3 and 15, but attended neither of them, claiming that they had technical defects. Despite the fact that the authorities admitted rulings in that regard, Morales remained in prison. In addition, his lawyer requested a habeas corpus that was not accepted.
The order of the Prosecutor’s Office indicated that Morales was investigated for “executing counterrevolutionary actions” in general, and in particular for “making false allegations against the main leaders”
The order of the Prosecutor’s Office indicated that Morales was investigated for “executing counterrevolutionary actions” in general, and in particular for “making false complaints against the main Cuban leaders from his Facebook account.”
While waiting for the resolution of the habeas corpus, Morales began a first hunger strike that made him feel discomfort in his chest, so he asked for medical assistance that was denied. According to his relatives, the head of the unit hit him, and he had to be transferred to a hospital.
On June 19, the independent journalist began another hunger strike that he ended when he learned of the date scheduled for his trial, initially on July 19. According to Baptist pastor Mario Félix Lleonart, Morales gave the news from the prison room of the Provincial Hospital of Villa Clara.
The doctor told him at that time, according to Lleonart, that he would not authorize him to attend the trial in the state he was in, but that, due to the many “irregularities and violations” of the process, he wanted to give Morales “the opportunity to attend because he is hoping to be released.”
Translated by Regina Anavy
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