The political prisoner Aníbal Yaciel Palau Jacinto, sentenced to five years in prison for his involvement in the protests of July 11, 2021 (11J), has been on a hunger and thirst strike since last Wednesday, November 5, in the Melena II prison, Mayabeque province, according to a report from his mother, Layda Yirkis Jacinto Abad, in a video shared by activist Marcel Valdés.
"Aníbal is on a hunger strike voluntarily. He is not being punished; he has been in complete starvation, not eating or drinking water since Wednesday," the mother stated while denouncing the lack of information regarding her son's health and the mistreatment he allegedly suffered in prison.
Jacinto Abad explained that his son was beaten by a chief of the prison's internal order, identified only as Roddy, after he complained that his cookies had been stolen during a search. According to the mother, the officer hit him "with his fist on the right cheek while insulting him with obscene words," an incident that resulted in a medical report of injuries.
“What they want is to provoke him in order to fabricate a new charge against him for attempted harm, when he is only eight months away from being released,” he warned. “I hold all the prison staff in Mayabeque and State Security responsible for my son’s life,” he added in his message, recorded in front of the prison.
A few days earlier, the media Martí Noticias reported that Aníbal Palau was beaten, robbed, and placed in solitary confinement, according to the initial complaint from his mother, who was also unable to see him or obtain information about his physical condition during that time.
Layda Yirkis Jacinto, along with Marta Perdomo and Liset Fonseca, is one of the women who, since 2021, have led public and religious actions in Mayabeque to demand the release of their children imprisoned after peaceful protests. In January 2023, the three walked to the Church of San José de las Lajas with a message of hope: “We walk for the freedom of our children. They are innocent.”
The case of Aníbal Palau adds to the long list of young people detained following the social upheaval of July 11, many of whom have been sentenced in summary trials and have suffered mistreatment in prison.
Her mother, who claims to be on a "blacklist" due to her reports, insists on keeping the demand for justice alive: "They deceive us, they deny us the truth, but we will not stop fighting. My son has dignity, just like all the boys from 11J."
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