José Daniel Ferrer sends letter from isolation in prison: "The dictatorship has buried me alive"

The Cuban political prisoner José Daniel Ferrer denounced in a letter sent from the extreme isolation in which he finds himself, the regime's intention to bury him alive and the critical situation of the inmates.

Ferrer, leader of the Cuban Patriotic Union (UNPACU), made an urgent call to the international community and human rights defenders, asking for solidarity and support for those suffering under these conditions.

According to the Cuban American National Foundation on the social network X, the letter, verified by his brothers, highlights the lack of medical attention, food, and hygiene products in Cuban prisons, affecting not only him but many other inmates who survive in inhuman conditions.

In his message, the Cuban opposition leader emphasized the importance of a collective commitment in the fight for freedom and respect for fundamental rights. "It’s not just about me, but about all those of us being punished for thinking differently," he stated and underlined that repression in the island's prisons has intensified.

The activist directed his message to his wife, Nelva Ortega, and his sister, Ana Belkis, asking for it to be spread through social media, alerting about the conditions of political prisoners like Aníbal Ribeaux, who suffers from serious health issues without receiving medical attention, and Ian Games, forced to sleep on the floor and endure hunger.

According to Ferrer, some prisoners from July 11 are in even worse situations, malnourished and sick, comparing the quality of the food to that received by the victims of Nazi concentration camps.

"I have gone over a year and six months without family visits and without telephone communication. The dictatorship has buried me alive, they want to silence me at all costs, that’s why they do not hear my voice, that’s why they do not receive my opinions, my reasons, my complaints about what is happening in this hell. I have made several attempts to get my writings to them, I don’t know if any have succeeded, I hope this one reaches them," he wrote.

"José Daniel Ferrer García never gives up, Daniel Ferrer García is and will die as a staunch defender of freedom, democracy, human rights, justice, and fundamental values: independence of the powers of the State, freedoms of expression, press, association, peaceful assembly and demonstration, market economy, and social justice," he stated.

Despite the extreme isolation to which he is subjected, with more than a year and a half without family visits or phone communication, Ferrer reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to freedom, democracy, and human rights, expressing his solidarity not only with prisoners in Cuba but also with opponents and persecuted individuals in Venezuela, Nicaragua, Russia, and other countries facing dictatorships and authoritarian regimes.

José Daniel Ferrer García is a Cuban human rights activist born in Palma Soriano, Santiago de Cuba, on July 29, 1970. He founded UNPACU in August 2011, a Cuban dissident organization that peacefully fights against any form of repression of civil liberties in Cuba.