Cuban professor Julio Adriel Merladet Olazábal, a resident of the Granma municipality of Jiguaní, was dismissed from his position at IPVCE Silberto Álvarez Aroche for posting videos online in which he criticized the Public Health System.
Merladet Olazábal told CiberCuba that the measure initially made him feel very powerless, especially because he had never received any complaints about his work as a History teacher. However, it helped him understand how the regime operates.
"I earned the respect of both my professors and fellow students through my work ethic, even from those with more experience, who tend to view younger individuals with skepticism," he stated to this outlet.
The 26-year-old Cuban shared a video on his social media shortly after receiving the sanction and criticized the lack of true freedom of expression in Cuba.
In the broadcast, he referred to the Cuban Constitution of 2019, which mentions citizens' right to freedom of expression in Article 54. However, the Education officials who sanctioned him claimed that this was something "in quotes."
"Of the eleven million Cubans, half do not agree with what is happening in the country," said Merladet Olazábal.
He also explained that the measure directly affects his family, as he is the father of an 11-month-old girl and his wife, who is also a teacher, is currently on maternity leave.
"Did you think about how I was going to support my daughter with what I now have to do?" she asked those responsible for adopting such a drastic measure with a clear political motive.
The young history teacher has no choice but to make a living whatever way he can, so he takes to the streets to sell spices, as he says his family cannot go without a meal on the table.
"They want to force me into committing a crime so they can imprison me, but I won't allow it, because that's what they do to everyone who thinks differently," he expressed.
He says that many remain silent out of fear and cites his own situation as an example, which serves as a warning for those who dare to share the reality of the island—its lack of resources and the absence of political will—on social media or any other platform.
"Open your eyes; I have already opened mine, and I will not be silent. It's Homeland and Life; it's over—Homeland or Death," he concluded.
In August, Julio Adriel Merladet Olazábal reported on Facebook the shortcomings of the Public Health System in Granma, after his wife and daughter spent hours seeking medical assistance amid the wave of coronavirus sweeping the country.
"No one is paying me to say these things," she clarified in one of the videos, which went viral due to the desperation and lack of humanity shown by those responsible for ensuring a quality service.
The young professor is not the only one being expelled from the education system in Cuba, as several cases have been reported in recent months.
Chemical engineer David Alejandro Martínez Espinosa was threatened with dismissal from his position as a professor at the University of Medical Sciences of Cienfuegos for posting messages on social media in support of the San Isidro Movement and the 27N, as well as for criticizing the government.
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