José Daniel Ferrer: "I prefer to die in prison than to owe my liberation to an undignified negotiation."

The Cuban opposition figure José Daniel Ferrer García, who was released this Thursday after three and a half years in prison, criticized the Biden administration and the Vatican for the way they handled the agreement with the regime that led to the release of 553 political prisoners.

In an interview with the Spanish newspaper El Mundo, Ferrer expressed that from a humanitarian perspective, he is glad that the prisoners are being released from that situation, but at the same time, he feels ashamed of the agreement.

"According to the terms of the statement published by the regime, it seems as though they have just defeated them in three rounds, as if by coincidence they decided to grant freedom to the 553 prisoners. If Biden and the Vatican do not refute this, they would be playing along (...). They boast that both Washington and the Pope have done their bidding. They have shown a lack of respect," he emphasized.

In statements to NTN24, the leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) stated that he feels no gratitude towards any process or negotiation that ultimately benefits the dictatorship.

"Today they release 553, and in three months they will imprison five thousand more, including many of those who have just been released. And then, in three years, they will release 500, 200, or however many, as a gift to the Pope who is in the Vatican at that moment and to some Democratic administration, if we have one," he explained.

In his testimony to El Mundo, Ferrer recounted that he learned of his release this Thursday morning when an intelligence officer informed him of the government's decision to place him under conditional release, something he did not accept. He refused to sign the conditional release because he is innocent of the charges against him.

"I do not accept those conditions; give me another 30 years of sanctions, that's how tyranny works. Save me the time, just leave me in this concentration camp," he told them.

According to what he said, a lieutenant colonel grabbed him by the waist and, without using force, escorted him to the prison door where his wife Nelva Ortega and his children were waiting. "I wanted to go back, but they prohibited me. They threw me out of the prison!" he emphasized.

Ferrer reported that they were putting drugs in his food while he was in prison, which caused him headaches, ear pain, and hallucinations. This stopped thanks to the reports from members of the European Parliament and the press from free countries.

"I have sacrificed my life and my family, whom I love deeply, to fight for my people. I will never abandon the struggle," he concluded.

The opposition figure was arrested on July 11, 2021, when he attempted to join the mass protests in Santiago de Cuba.

In his first statements after being released from prison, he sent a message of determination and hope to Cubans both on the Island and in exile, urging them to overcome their fear because "the oppressor is increasingly frightened."

"Don't be afraid to fight for a free, just, and prosperous Cuba, don't be afraid to work for a better future for all Cubans, so that we don't have to seek freedom and better living conditions in other lands," he stated to Martí Noticias.

"Do not be afraid to confront the oppressor, because the oppressor is increasingly scared, increasingly weak, and the more we face them head-on, with dignity, decorum, and courage, the shorter their existence will be, the less time they will have in power, the fewer abuses they will be able to commit, and the fewer outrages they will be able to continue perpetrating," he added.

Frequently Asked Questions about José Daniel Ferrer and the Situation of Political Prisoners in Cuba