The prominent Cuban opposition leader José Daniel Ferrer García, who was released this Thursday after spending three and a half years in prison, sent a message of resilience and hope to the Cuban people in his first statements after leaving jail, urging them to lose their fear because "the oppressor is increasingly afraid."
“To my people, to the Cubans within the island and also to those in exile, who are an essential part of our nation, my message is simple, straightforward, and comes from the heart,” Ferrer said at the beginning of his statements to Martí Noticias.
“Do not be afraid to fight for a free, just, prosperous Cuba, do not be afraid to work for a better future for all Cubans, so that we do not have to leave in search of freedom and better living conditions in other lands”, he affirmed.
"Do not be afraid to confront the oppressor, because the oppressor is increasingly scared, becoming weaker, and the more we look him in the eye, facing him with dignity, decorum, and courage, the shorter his existence will be, the less time he will have in power, the fewer abuses he will be able to commit, and the fewer atrocities he will continue to perpetrate," he added.
Ferrer said that together "we can make Cuba change, we can put an end to oppression, misery, hunger, widespread poverty, and give Cuba and the Cuban people what we should have always had: a happy Cuba, a free Cuba, a just Cuba, a prosperous Cuba."
Ferrer apologized for the lengthy nature of his message, but explained that he has spoken little in recent years, as he spent almost three and a half years incommunicado, and it was just under two months ago that he was placed in a cell alongside six common prisoners.
He detailed that they had to remove two of them, one because he was stealing food, food that he voluntarily shared with everyone, and another because he was making knives.
Previously, the activist Rosa María Payá had anticipated the circumstances surrounding Ferrer's release from jail.
"I just spoke with José Daniel Ferrer. The repressors had to release him from prison because he refused the conditions for his freedom. Firm and ready to continue the fight until Cuba is free! Heart of a hero! What pride!", wrote Payá on X.
Considered a "prisoner of conscience" by Amnesty International (AI), José Daniel Ferrer was imprisoned on July 12, 2021, amid the anti-government protests of July 11.
Leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), Ferrer -who is currently 54 years old- has been a staunch opponent of the Cuban communist regime for many years, which has led to multiple imprisonments, persecutions, and reprisals for his political activities.
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