Mother of Cuban July 11th (11J) Prisoner Has Been Jailed in Villa Marista Prison for Two Days

Yudinela Castro (left), mother of Rowland Jesús Castillo (right), one of the July 11th (11J) protesters. (Collage)

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Havana, 26 February 2022 — Yudinela Castro Pérez, mother of 18-year-old political prisoner and July 11th (11J) protester, Rowland Jesús Castillo Castro, has spent more than 48 hours under arrest in Villa Marista, the barracks of the State Security in Havana. The woman was arrested last Thursday morning and “still has not returned home,” reported activist Arián Cruz, Tata Poet.

Cruz explained that Castro’s arrest occurred at 9 am, by an agent of the political police known as Robert, and she was later transferred to Villa Marista. On Friday, the activist went there and an investigator told him that the woman was “under investigation.”

“We managed to leave her some clothes and hygiene products. He strongly emphasized that she would remain under arrest because ’she did not want to cooperate.’ Before we left, he said he’d call to let us know the next steps — when she’d be allowed a visit, and how the process was going,” said Cruz.

In January, Castro, a leukemia patient, must have spent “a week in the hospital and in pretty serious condition after fainting as a result of toxoplasmosis,” the activist clarified. Furthemore, he informed that every day, she must take “a series of medications, which they won’t allow, and she has spent two days without taking them.”

Last Friday, at noon, a habeus corpus in favor of Castro was delivered to the People’s Provincial Tribunal of Havana because “her arrest and the subsequent procedures were totally arbitrary,” warned Cruz.

“On behalf of her family and friends, I hold the State Security responsible for anything that might happen to her,” he concluded.

Activist Camila Rodríguez also stated that Yudinela Castro has custody of her “two-year-old” grandson.

Since her son was taken to jail, Castro has denounced each one of the injustices commited against the young man and has not stopped demanding his release. She has also denounced, “the lies” told by the regime during the trial against her son Rowland, accused of sedition for which the prosecutor initially sought 23 years, later reduced to 12.

On several occasions, Castro has been arbitrarily detained by State Security officials to interrogate her but she has always said that “whatever it takes,” nothing will stop her from fighting to achieve her son’s freedom.

Translated by: Silvia Suárez

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