The White House shows “increasing concern for the health” of the opponent
14ymedio, Havana, 20 September 2024 — The United States Government demanded this Friday that the Cuban authorities release the political prisoner José Daniel Ferrer, as well as the more than 1,000 Cubans “unjustly detained.” Through the Undersecretary of State for the Western Hemisphere, Brian Nichols, the White House also pointed out the “rising international concern for the health” of the opponent and leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (Unpacu), which has been diminished by prison conditions and his recent hunger strike.
“We condemn the horrendous conditions that he and other unjustly detained political prisoners suffer. We call on the Cuban government to release Ferrer,” the official said. The complaint is added to that of the European Parliament this Thursday, which, as in 2019, again demanded that the regime release Ferrer “immediately and unconditionally,” as well as all the people “arrested arbitrarily for political reasons and for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.”
The non-binding resolution was approved with 380 votes in favor, 182 against and 51 abstentions. In the call, European deputies condemned “the torture and inhuman and degrading mistreatment inflicted against José Daniel Ferrer and the other political prisoners.” They demanded that “the families of the victims of the Regime’s persecution be immediately allowed access to them, and that the victims receive medical attention.”
The complaint is added to that of the European Parliament this Thursday, which, as in 2019, again demanded that the Regime release Ferrer immediately and unconditionally
“The repression must end,” said the members of Parliament, who asked the European Union to sanction “those responsible for the persistent violations of human rights” on the Island.
On September 7, the Archbishop of Santiago de Cuba, Dionisio García Ibáñez, and the priest Camilo de la Paz, in charge of the Penitentiary Pastoral of the diocese, visited Ferrer in prison. The meeting was announced by Nelva Ortega Tamayo, wife of the political prisoner, in statements to Martí Noticias.
Although the opponent is mentally and physically “stable,” the archbishop and his companion were worried about his health, she reported. “To be precise, his health is not good,” Ortega told the media, and she clarified that Ferrer told García Ibáñez and De la Paz that he suffered from heartburn, stomach pain and “a practically paralyzed” arm.
Similarly, on September 12, Amnesty International, in a message on X, expressed concern about Ferrer’s life
Similarly, on September 12, Amnesty International, in a message on X, expressed concern about Ferrer’s life, since “his family could not visit him for months and found that his health has seriously deteriorated under the prison’s inhumane conditions.”
Ferrer García was one of the prisoners of the so-called Black Spring of 2003, when he was sentenced to death. Then, his sentence was commuted to 25 years in prison thanks to the efforts of the Vatican and the mediation of Spain.
During his current conviction – for trying to join the ’11J’ protests of 11 July 2021 – his family, especially his wife, has denounced the Regime’s constant refusal to let him receive family and conjugal visits. On numerous occasions, due to his forced isolation, Ferrer’s family and some independent institutions have requested a proof of life for the political prisoner.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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