The Cuban opponent and leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), Jose Daniel Ferrerhas begun a hunger strike to denounce “the constant physical and psychological tortureas well as the inhumane conditions” of which he is a victim during his stay in prison.
The Complaints Center of the Foundation for Pan American Democracy, linked to the Cuban opposition, announced this Friday the beginning of Ferrer’s hunger strike, one of the best-known faces of the sectors opposed to the Government.
Ferrer, imprisoned since 2019, was previously arrested during the so-called Black Spring of 2003 for participating in the Varela Project, devised by Oswaldo Payá to achieve legal changes through popular initiative that would promote a political opening in Cuba, and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
The head of UNPACU was the last of the 75 detainees at that time to be released. The majority agreed to leave Cuba, for the United States or Europe, in exchange for their release thanks to the mediation of the Catholic Church and the Spanish Government. Twelve, including Ferrer, They refused to accept what they considered a forced exileso his release from prison came later, in his case in 2011.
The family of the Cuban opponent denounced at the end of last month that the activist was subjected to mistreatment in prison where he is found in an accusation that media related to the Government of Havana categorically denied.
«José Daniel Ferrer’s hunger strike highlights the desperate situation of political prisoners in Cuba and demands immediate action from the international community to denounce these serious human rights violations,” the statement emphasizes.
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