Cuban organizations seek to nominate the opposition figure José Daniel Ferrer García for the Sakharov Prize.

The nomination request for the Cuban political prisoner José Daniel Ferrer, promoted by several organizations and personalities from Cuban civil society, aims to protect and safeguard the Cuban opposition leader, whose physical and psychological integrity is at extreme risk, said the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights.

The petition was sent in letter format to the MEPs and outlines the "situation of utmost urgency, which requires their immediate attention and action."

"His life is at serious risk due to the conditions in which he finds himself and the constant violation of his fundamental rights. José Daniel is in a cell, isolated since his confinement, as an additional punishment. His isolation includes family and phone contact. His family has reported on multiple occasions his concerning health problems and those that may arise from prolonged solitary confinement," they noted in the letter.

The document acknowledges "the power of the international community and of honorary distinctions to draw attention to critical situations," which is why the signatories respectfully request that "consider nominating José Daniel Ferrer García for the prestigious Sakharov Prize."

They believe that "this nomination, even if the award is not granted, would represent not only a recognition of their tireless struggle for democracy and human rights of Cubans, but it would also serve as a shield of international protection, increasing pressure on the responsible authorities and providing a ray of hope that could be crucial for saving their life."

The text is signed by Carlos Quintela, director of the Cuban American Foundation, Tony Costa, president of the Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba, Sylvia Iriondo, president of Mar por Cuba, Orlando Gutiérrez Boronat, secretary general of the Cuban Democratic Directorate and Coordinator of the Assembly for Resistance, Rosa María Paya, representative of Cuba Decide, Marcell Felipe, president of the Inspire America Foundation, from the city of Miami.

While from Cuba, the letter was signed by the representative of the Cuban Center for Human Rights and political exprisoner of the Group of 75, Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello, the Sakharov Prize winners Berta Soler and Guillermo Fariñas; and from Europe, the organizations Movimiento San Isidro, Red Femenina de Cuba along with the Christian Democratic Party of Cuba and the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights; as part of the requesting organizations, their representatives Yanelis Núñez, Elena Larrinaga de Luis, and Alejandro González Raga.

A significant group of organizations and political prisoners from inside and outside Cuba also joined, highlighting the importance of international support for the Cuban people.

José Daniel Ferrer, who turned 54 years old on July 29 in the Mar Verde maximum security prison in Santiago de Cuba, has been detained since July 11, 2021, the date when massive and spontaneous protests against the Cuban dictatorship took place.

The Cuban opposition member is in a sealed cell, where hardly any air circulates and nothing can be seen outside. He also does not receive sunlight and perceives a constant noise within the cell. All of this has caused him to suffer from severe headaches, ringing in the ears, bleeding in the mouth, loss of vision, cramps, and momentary paralysis in his hands.

Recently, his wife, Nelva Ismarays Ortega Tamayo, reported that the regime did not allow her to visit José Daniel in the prison where he is held, where she went along with their children: Fátima Victoria and Daniel José.

"Unfortunately, that right was denied once again," he said in an audio accessed by CiberCuba.

Ferrer is serving a four-year prison sentence imposed in February 2020 for the alleged crime of "injuries and deprivation of liberty" against a third party, which had been commuted to a sentence of four and a half years of house arrest.