Cubalex reports that Walnier Aguilar was sent to Agüica prison in Matanzas, and Ángel Cuza to Guanajay prison in Artemisa.
14ymedio, Madrid, 5 November 2025 — At least two political prisoners have been transferred in recent days from the Combinado del Este maximum security prison in Havana, Cubalex announced on Tuesday. One of them is Ángel Cuza, transferred to Guanajay, in Artemisa; and the other is Walnier Aguilar Bravo, sent to Agüica, in Matanzas. According to the organisation, the authorities claim that there is a list of inmates who were planning to stage a protest at the notorious prison.
This account was expanded by the father of one of them, Wilber Aguilar, who, when he was interviewed by Radio Martí, raised the number of transfers to almost twenty. “As I understand it, there were twenty, seventeen, nineteen. I don’t know how many were transferred, I only know that I was the only one summoned there to be told that Walnier had been transferred,” he said on Tuesday.
Aguilar claims that he found out afterwards that his son had been sent to a prison some 200 kilometres away from the capital. “I don’t even know when the transfer took place, whether it was on Saturday or Sunday. All I know is that I was called to the prison yesterday to be informed, which no other family member was told about,” he reported.
“Do you know how much it costs now for the family to travel to Matanzas? They don’t care where the children are, separating them from their daughters, who have to miss a whole day of school, practically, for the journey, then the visit, then the return trip… It’s completely wrong, for no reason, for nothing,” he complained.
Walnier Aguilar, who has an intellectual disability, was sentenced to 12 years in prison following the anti-government protests on 11 July 2021 [’11J’] in La Güinera, Havana, one of the poorest neighbourhoods and also one of the most severely punished by the Cuban courts. This area, known for being marginalised, was home to 96 of the 790 people prosecuted for the 11 July protests, all for sedition, the most serious crime they were accused of.
For the last four years, Wilber Aguilera has been defending his son’s situation and that of the other prisoners imprisoned for ’11J’. He has written letters to the National Assembly, taken the case to international organisations and succeeded in getting the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to grant precautionary measures to his son “on the grounds that he is in serious danger of irreparable harm to his rights in Cuba”.
His desire to raise awareness of his son’s situation has caused the father no end of problems, as he has been subjected to harassment by State Security over the last four years. Now, distance has been added to his previous problems.
“They wanted to link my son and me to the idea that they were going to stage a protest, where all prisoners always stage protests, without any consequences. As far as I understand, my son denies that he was going to protest,” he told Radio Martí, although he does not intend to give up. “I will not stop going to see my son wherever he is. Even if I have to go to the end of the world.”
Cubalex also reported on Tuesday that political prisoner Ángel Cuza was transferred on Sunday to Guanajay, in Artemisa, also for an alleged involvement in a possible strike.
Cuza, an artist and freelance reporter, was released from prison in May after serving his most recent sentence, but was re-arrested in July and taken to Combinado del Este prison on new charges that have yet to be specified. According to activist Anamely Ramos, the intention was “to accuse him of possession of explosives or something similar. And that it’s all because of a small bullet he was carrying, which he has had for years.”
Cubalex criticised on social media the measures taken against the prisoners affected, which currently include at least these two. “These forced transfers make their suffering worse, for the prisoners and their families, who find it very difficult and expensive to visit them. As well as transport costs, there is also the cost of food and medicine, which are essential given the precarious conditions in prison. The forced distance has a profound emotional impact, making it difficult for them to maintain contact with their loved ones.”
Translated by GH
____________
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.