Cuban opposition leader José Daniel Ferrer, head of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), has a facial injury after being brutally beaten in Mar Verde prison, Santiago de Cuba, according to reports from his associates.
Ferrer would be very thin, with a visible wound on his face, reported a person who had limited access to the Boniato prison hospital, where he is hospitalized following the beating.
The information was shared by the prisoner's sister, Anabelkis Ferrer, who urged people to spread awareness of the situation using the hashtags #SOSFerrer and #FreeFerrer.
The Cuban regime authorized Ferrer Nelva Ortega's wife to visit him in the hospital, but "at a distance." The woman reported that access to the hospital was restricted, and only a few people could verify the prisoner's condition.
Ortega, along with his children, stood in front of the Mar Verde prison on Friday, demanding concrete proof of life of the opposition leader.
He argued that the authorized visit "from afar" the day before did not allow them to confirm whether the person they saw was truly Ferrer, leaving them with doubts about his health status.
Ortega described the procedure as inhumane and expressed his concern for the conditions of imprisonment and the physical assaults suffered by Ferrer, who has been detained for over three years on charges of contempt and other allegations deemed arbitrary by international human rights organizations.
José Daniel Ferrer was arrested in July 2021 following the anti-government protests on July 11th.
Since then, his family and loved ones have reported torture, prolonged isolation, and inhumane conditions of imprisonment.
Ferrer is one of the most prominent figures of the Cuban opposition, and his case symbolizes the repression faced by those who challenge the regime.
Filed under: