The political prisoner Yosvany Rosell García Caso, sentenced to 15 years in prison for participating in the protests of July 11, 2021 (11J) in Holguín, has been on a hunger strike for 39 days and is in critical condition, as national and international pressure for his immediate release continues to mount.
The opposition leader José Daniel Ferrer García reported on the social network X (formerly Twitter) that “the life of political prisoner Yosvani Rosell García is in serious danger” and emphasized that “he only seeks his freedom because he is innocent and should not be imprisoned.”
Ferrer added that the protester “has been on a hunger strike for nearly 40 days and is being held handcuffed,” directly holding the Cuban regime responsible for anything that may happen to him:
The criminal Castro-communist dictatorship would be solely responsible for what happens, but anyone who remains silent in the face of this human tragedy would be an accomplice. Witnessing a crime in silence is to commit it.
The words of the opposition member add to a growing call from citizens and diplomats to save the life of García Caso, who was recently transferred to the provincial hospital of Holguín showing signs of severe malnutrition, dehydration, and risk of organ failure.
His family has reported that the prisoner refuses to receive intravenous feeding or medication as a protest against what he considers an unjust and arbitrary sentence.
"Just ask to be free."
Blacksmith by trade and father of three children, García Caso is described by family and friends as a humble, hardworking man with deep faith.
His wife, Mailín Rodríguez Sánchez, has reported threats and surveillance by State Security, while continuing to demand medical care and the release of her husband.
He only asks to be free. He is not asking for privileges; he is asking for justice, he recently declared on social media.
Since his imprisonment in 2021, García Caso has endured beatings, solitary confinement, and isolation, according to reports from his family and human rights organizations. He had previously undertaken several hunger strikes, but this one — which has now exceeded 39 days — is the longest and most perilous.
“I returned home in shock, unable to close my eyes,” the wife of the political prisoner confessed this Saturday on her . “My husband is in the hospital, under 24-hour guard, with G2 officers watching over him even in his state of extreme weakness. He has gone 38 days without food and, yet, they have him chained to the bed. My God, what horror! I saw him tied up, suffering. I cannot remain silent about this.”
Mailín directly held the Cuban regime responsible for her husband's life: “Yosvany is unjustly imprisoned, simply for wanting a better future for his children and peacefully expressing himself, a constitutional right. He was sentenced to 15 years without having committed any crime. He has spent over four years unable to see his three children grow up, and now his life is in danger. Every second counts.”
International pressure is increasing
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), Amnesty International, and the United States Embassy in Havana have expressed their concern for his health deterioration and have called for the immediate release from the Cuban regime.
"The life of Yosvany Rosell is in danger. We demand that the Cuban State respect his human rights and ensure adequate medical care," the IACHR warned.
Meanwhile, Cuban activists both on the island and abroad have organized vigils and social media actions under the hashtags #FreeYosvanyRosell, #SOSCuba, and #LibertadParaYosvany, in an attempt to raise awareness of his situation before it’s too late.
A symbol of resistance
For many Cubans, the case of García Caso symbolizes the dignity of the common citizen who chose to protest fearlessly, and who today pays with his health and freedom the price of standing up against injustice.
His hunger strike, more than an act of desperation, has become a cry of resistance and denunciation against a repressive regime that punishes civic protest with cruelty.
As his condition worsens, so does the urgency of the demand: his life hangs by a thread, and silence—as Ferrer warned—would be complicity.
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