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The opposition leader José Daniel Ferrer García, founder of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), made a new appeal to organizations and individuals supporting Cuban political prisoners to enhance coordination and resource distribution among the detainees and their families.
In a post shared this Friday on his Facebook account, Ferrer requested that those providing assistance independently reach out to him, with the aim of “exchanging ideas that will help us carry out a more efficient and fair work.”
"Due to a lack of sufficient communication, assistance is often repeatedly provided to some prisoners while others receive no support at all, or very little," wrote the opposition figure, who was recently exiled to the United States after years of imprisonment and torture in Cuba.
Ferrer emphasized that political prisoners need political, spiritual, and economic support, including money for food, hygiene products, medicine, books, phone top-ups, and family transportation to the prisons. “They need information that encourages them to remain strong and assured that they are not alone,” he added.
The message is part of a broader strategy initiated by Ferrer from exile, where just a few days ago he launched a network of financial support aimed at channeling direct assistance to the families of political prisoners in Cuba, with the backing of exiles like former prisoner Pedro Guerra. “Without genuine and effective solidarity, no cause can succeed, no matter how just it may be,” stated the leader of UNPACU, as he called on the exile community to join the effort.
Since his arrival in the United States, Ferrer has insisted that his exile does not mean the end of his activism, but rather a preparatory stage to reorganize the internal resistance. In one of his first interviews in Miami, he acknowledged that the Cuban opposition faces its "greatest internal challenge": the lack of cohesion and discipline, and warned that "we have many cleanup hitters, but we do not have a team."
The new appeal from Ferrer comes a day after he sent a message on social media directed at other activists and compatriots both inside and outside of Cuba, in which he urged to stay focused on the common cause for freedom and avoid divisions among those fighting against the regime. “I can understand being slandered and defamed by an agent of the tyranny, but not by someone who wants freedom for Cuba,” he stated in the post, which sparked a wave of support on social media among activists, exiles, and citizens both within and outside of Cuba, who highlighted his over three-decade trajectory standing up to the Cuban regime. “Personal attacks only benefit the dictatorship,” commented one user, while others encouraged him to continue his work without responding to provocations.
Several supporters recalled the inhumane conditions he endured during more than 12 years of imprisonment, comparing him to historic figures of Cuban independence such as Céspedes, Maceo, or Martí. “Brave men are always slandered; history repeats itself,” wrote another sympathizer.
The tone of Ferrer's message reflects his attempt to reconstruct unity and discipline within the Cuban opposition, while also articulating concrete mechanisms of solidarity with political prisoners. His initiative aims to create a coordinated support structure between the exile community and internal resistance, capable of confronting the regime's repression with resources and organization.
"Now more than ever, we need communication, discipline, and solidarity," reiterated the opposition member, who claims that his purpose from exile is to "accelerate the final moment of the dictatorship."
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