The Cuban professor and activist Pedro Albert Sánchez, recognized for his civic resistance and his support for the political prisoners from 11J, announced this weekend that he will go to the Ministry of Justice on Monday at 8 AM to deliver a letter in which he pleads for the minister's intervention in the case of the political prisoner Yosvany Rosell García Caso, who has been on a hunger strike for over 39 days and is in critical condition.
In a live broadcast on social media, Pedro Albert announced that he will personally present the document at the ministry's citizen service offices, and he urged the public and the international community to stay vigilant regarding his management and safety.
On Monday morning, at 8, I'll be here to deliver a letter addressed to the Minister of Justice. Let's have faith that it won't turn out like my letter to the President, due to the way the minister handled it. I was told to be here at 8 in the morning on Monday to deliver the letter,” the professor explained.
"The letter is a plea to the Minister of Justice, urging him to intervene as much as possible in the case of Yosvany Rosell, who is on a hunger strike and is dying. In any case, if he ends the strike, I will also deliver the letter. And whatever happens, we'll see each other on Monday," he added.
Pedro Albert, who was sentenced for participating in the protests of July 11, 2021, clarified that his action is not aimed at confrontation, but rather at seeking justice and humanity in light of the extreme situation faced by the Holguin political prisoner. “My conduct will depend on how I am treated on Monday,” he said.
"Those who know me, both online and in real life, are aware of the firmness of my character and how consistent I have been with what I say and do each day. I am not just any citizen looking to cause a scandal. Most people know what Professor Pedro represents and the resolve I will maintain while praying for that young man who has gone over thirty days without eating," he expressed.
"Because some of those who are going to criticize me, have they ever gone 16 days without eating? I have. And I know the state that boy is in. Glory to God," he concluded.
A gesture of solidarity in the midst of urgency
Pedro Albert's gesture occurs at a critical moment: García Caso, a political prisoner from the 11J protests sentenced to 15 years in prison, remains chained to a hospital bed in Holguín after more than a month on a hunger strike to demand his freedom.
His wife, Mailín Rodríguez Sánchez, recently reported on her social media that the guards keep him handcuffed even in a state of extreme weakness.
Albert, who has also carried out several hunger strikes during his imprisonment, asserted that his personal experience allows him to understand the severity of the physical and emotional deterioration suffered by the Holguin protester.
Their action, in addition to being supportive, reignites the demand from Cuban civil society to the regime, calling for respect for human rights and an end to arbitrary sentences for political reasons.
Context and Impact
Pedro Albert was a professor of physics and philosophy, imprisoned in 2021 for participating in the peaceful marches of July 11th. Despite his advanced age and suffering from prostate cancer, he has remained one of the strongest voices within Cuban civic activism.
His defense of Yosvany Rosell strengthens the bond between political prisoners and conscience activists, in a context of increasing repression and censorship within the island.
With his action on Monday, the professor seeks more than just to deliver a letter: he aims to remind the Cuban authorities that silence in the face of injustice is also complicity, and that— as he himself has said— "to plead for the life of another is an act of faith and humanity, not politics."
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