Cubalex, 13 September 2024 — Political prisoner Jorge Luis Rodríguez Valdés, known as “Tangallo”, was again transferred to a punishment cell in Kilo 8 prison, in Pinar del Río, for demanding a visit that the authorities arbitrarily denied him.
Tangallo has no close relatives and State Security forbade activist Eduardo Díaz Fleitas to visit him in prison. Although they arranged for someone else to deliver basic necessities to him, the authorities also prevented this.
According to information sent to Cubalex, Tangallo demanded his right to a visit in front of the head of the provincial prisons body, and for this reason he was sent to the punishment cell.
He recently spent 27 days in solitary confinement for an alleged suspicion of tuberculosis, and earlier he spent 17 days in solitary confinement, evidencing a systematic pattern of reprisals through solitary confinement.
The frequent use of prolonged solitary confinement fails to comply with international standards, such as the Mandela Rules, which prohibit this practice. The lack of independent review increases the risk of abuses and rights violations.
In addition, prolonged solitary confinement has a devastating impact on the physical and mental health of prisoners, leading to severe psychological disorders such as extreme anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. These practices are considered a form of torture.
The case of Tangallo is yet another example of the inhumane conditions to which prisoners are subjected in Cuba, and of the particularly severe reprisals faced by political prisoners.
Translated by GH
