Father of Cuban political prisoner Walnier Aguilar: "Freedom in Cuba is in mourning"

Wilber Aguilar Bravo, father of the 11J political prisoner Walnier Luis Aguilar Rivera, assured that he will continue fighting for his son's freedom because what has been done to him is an injustice.

Wilber was the one who led theinitiative by relatives of those convicted for political reasons to ask the government for an Amnesty Law, and in January he delivered the letter of request to the National Assembly of People's Power.

"I don't know if they will see it as an act of bravery: for me defending a child or a loved one is a normal act. I am simply defending my son from an injustice that was committed. And not only with my son, but also with thousand or so people who decided to go out into the streets and make use of their constitutional right," he explained to the Spanish newspaperTHE WORLD.

This courageous father recently visited in prisonhis son, who will soon turn 22 years old.

"My son has suffered a lot of torture. I will not be part of the silence that they have achieved with power," denounced Aguilar Bravo, who explained that Walnier asked to see a doctor for the headaches he suffers and that the guards "handcuffed him and sprayed him." with pepper spray in the eyes three times. In addition, they stripped him and beat him.

Wilber has also suffered harassment from the government for his actions in securing the release of his son. "The treatment that is being given to me is as if I were a criminal. I did not put anyone's children in prison. The only thing I ask for is freedom, because freedom in Cuba is in mourning," he said in a direct message that did through Facebook.

The young man, who suffers from an intellectual disability, was sentenced to 12 years in prison after the massive protests in the La Güinera neighborhood, Havana, on July 11, 2021.

According to his father now, the population of that area was already tired of hunger, misery and blackouts. That is why he spontaneously took to the streets to demand his rights.

"A combat order was given, which everyone already knows, and they came to attack them. They themselves created the violence, there were shots and one person died," he recalled.

"What is the situation like today in La Güinera? The conditions are much worse than they were on 11J. At least twice as bad. There is more hunger, more misery, more repression, more everything," he said.

At the beginning of the month, theParliament rejected the request for an Amnesty Law in Cuba as "inadmissible", and alleged that it did not comply with certain legal requirements, without detailing which ones.

The Cuban Observatory for Human Rights (OCDH) has found eight possible legal ways to release political prisoners, such as pardons, extra-penal licenses, conditional release and others.

In Wilmer's opinion, the amnesty is the one that best suited the situation of the imprisoned protesters. "We, as family members, are going to do what is in our power," he said.