Cuban authorities denied the request for parole in favor of Cuban political prisoner Luis Robles Elizástigui, who was sentenced to five years of deprivation of liberty in 2021.
Robles was sentenced for demonstrating with a sign on the boulevard of San Rafael in Havana, and has been eligible for parole since April.
Her mother, Yindra Elizástigui Jardines, submitted the request three months ago and has now been notified that the petition has been rejected, reported Martí Noticias.
The woman said she had hope that the benefit would be granted to her. "It was a ray of light amidst so much darkness," the prisoner's mother told the media outlet, expressing feeling "shocked and very disappointed."
I had previously mentioned that the deadline to receive a response expired last April 17 and that the regime did not respond on the scheduled date.
In January, I hired the lawyer to file for his parole. He told me a few days later that he had already submitted the file to the Provincial Court and was informed they had 90 business days to respond. Those 90 days have already passed, he explained at that time.
He also reported that a State Security officer who assists Robles in prison had informed him about the process of applying for parole, which had raised the young man's expectations.
Robles had been granted a pass on February 19, which allowed him to spend time with his family for the first time since he was detained.
"This news has been a hard blow to him," emphasized the woman, who blames the Cuban regime for the situation.
He considers that the denial "is part of a strategy of the Cuban regime", as State Security is manipulative and plays with people's feelings.
Luis Robles, recognized by Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience, was sentenced for the crimes of enemy propaganda and disobedience for carrying out a solitary peaceful protest during which he held up a sign in Central Havana with the word "Freedom."
Numerous international organizations have demanded his full release, highlighting his situation as a serious case of human rights violations.
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