Six days without news of José Daniel Ferrer: family reports torture and fears for his life

Relatives of José Daniel Ferrer reported that they have not heard from the political prisoner in six days.

"Six days without news of my brave brother SOSFerrer, without knowing if he is recovering or if he continues to be a victim of such cruel torture, beatings, humiliations, and abuse; without knowing if he is still alive in the midst of that hell or not?" wrote on the opposition member's X account his sister Ana Belkis Ferrer García.

"Tyrants in power must be condemned for crimes against humanity; there must be an International Court of Justice that truly intervenes against genocides and holds them accountable," he added.

Relatives and human rights organizations have expressed theirconcern for Ferrer's health following reports on July 6 regarding the torture and systematic beatings he is subjected to in the Mar Verde prison, in Santiago de Cuba.

A panorama of "cruel torture, beatings, abuses, and humiliations."

Ferrer has been subjected to daily beatings since June 25 when Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Pineda Guerra "began the brutal assault" against him, joined by Lieutenant Chacón (second in command); Captain José Miguel Hechavarría Gorget (head of Internal Order); Major Luis Yanez Herrera (head of Educational Treatment); and Captain Liván Laugart Riquelme (head of the collective).

"They beat him all over: head, arms, legs, abdomen, back. Kicks, slaps, punches, with whatever they found, even making him soil himself. Then they brought in six supposed common criminals, who have continued the pattern of beatings, just like those murderers made him soil himself. All with the goal of putting the uniform on him," his relatives reported earlier.

For his part, Captain Hechavarría Gorget "has prevented the passage of food, hygiene products, and medications, justifying it by saying that if there are no visits, no deposits are allowed."

Captain Laugart Riquelme has also "refused to allow the passage of food, hygiene products, and medications" using the same excuse.

"José Daniel told us that he is the worst of all, that he is as criminal as Pineda," the opposition member said about the head of the group.

Another beating occurred on June 25, as well as on the 26th and 28th.

“From July 1st until today, it has been every day,” the complaint states, and “the blows to the head, the kicks to the abdomen, arms, legs, back, and kidney area were not enough; they have also included other types of torture, such as twisting fingers and forcibly turning the hand as if to break it. They tightly squeezed the nose, another held the mouth open, and a third grabbed the neck as if to choke him, to force him to drink milk.”

"Since July 1st, 'there is no specific time to hit him and try to force him to drink milk, to put on the uniform, and to stand him up forcibly during the visitation. Sometimes there are six hitmen, other times there are eight, and even ten.'"

"On the first day, they almost suffocated and drowned him. Since he refused the milk, they soaked his entire body and for over 24 hours he was lying on the floor. He said that when the milk dried up, all day he felt as if the flies were eating him alive, and the pain was so intense and he was so weak that he couldn’t get up. He came to shower after more than 48 hours," they reported.

Ferrer warned them that if the possibility of his death materialized, "they should leave the country, because they were threatened that they would kill all of them, that they would make their lives even more miserable than they already are, that they would take Nelva away to prison, the child to a juvenile center, and this is how they will deal with everyone who has the surname or is related to the Ferrers, until they disappear them all in the worst way possible."

The opposition leader believes that "the dictatorship is so desperate and blinded that it has no doubt that its least fear is to kill him, and its least fear is to give up its own life before yielding to its blackmail. That he will continue to fight for freedom, democracy, and respect for human rights as long as he lives, even though he is in this situation now."

Furthermore, he was not able to kiss his family because, "before the 25th, he was placed near an inmate with tuberculosis, and given how weak he is, he fears he may have contracted the disease."

Hunger strike

On June 29th, Ferrer began a hunger strike to protest against his unjust imprisonment and the inhumane conditions he faces in prison.

Since his most recent arrest on April 29, Ferrer has been subjected to harsh confinement conditions. The regime revoked his parole without providing a clear legal justification, which was interpreted by international observers as a political reprisal.

The opposition figure was immediately transferred to Mar Verde prison, one of the harshest in the country, to serve a sentence imposed in 2020 in a process deemed arbitrary by human rights organizations. In mid-May, the opposition figure told his family that he was being accused of propaganda against the constitutional order and contempt towards Miguel Díaz-Canel.

Relatives and members of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), the organization led by Ferrer, have raised concerns about the physical and psychological deterioration of the prisoner, and they report that he remains in isolation, without regular access to visits or medical attention.

Frequently Asked Questions about the situation of José Daniel Ferrer