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The United States Ambassador to Cuba, Mike Hammer, met in Miami with the Cuban political prisoner and activist Jorge Luis García Pérez, known as Antúnez, to discuss the current human rights situation on the island and call for the release of all political prisoners.
"Our Mission Chief Mike Hammer had the honor of meeting former political prisoner Jorge Luis García Pérez, known as Antúnez. They discussed the current situation in Cuba and the urgent need to release all those who remain unjustly imprisoned," published the United States Embassy in Cuba on its official account on X (formerly Twitter), alongside a photo of the meeting.
In the image, Hammer and Antúnez pose with a sign demanding the freedom of all political prisoners and displaying the photographs of Loreto Hernández García and Donaida Pérez Paseiro, relatives of the opposition figure who remain incarcerated in Cuba.
Hernández García was sentenced to seven years in prison for the crimes of contempt and public disorder after participating in the protests on July 11, 2021, in Placetas, Villa Clara.
Pérez Paseiro, a member of the Association of Free Yorubas in Cuba, is serving an eight-year sentence for his participation in those protests.
According to Antúnez's report, Pérez Paseiro was one of the first individuals released following conversations between the Cuban regime and the Vatican, but the authorities unjustly revoked her parole and sent her back to prison.
"It is a political and religious revenge of the regime," the activist has stated on several occasions.
The meeting is part of the diplomatic efforts of Mike Hammer in favor of human rights in Cuba. Since his arrival at the U.S. Embassy in Havana, the diplomat has maintained a strong stance in support of activists and has denounced the violations committed by the regime against protesters, independent journalists, and peaceful opposition members.
In recent months, the diplomat has reiterated the United States government's demand for the release of the political prisoners from July 11, as well as those detained for reasons of conscience.
"Freedom of expression and the right to protest peacefully are universal. No one should be in prison for thinking differently," said the diplomat in previous statements.
Jorge Luis García Pérez “Antúnez” is one of the historical figures of the Cuban dissidence. He spent over 17 years in prison for his opposition to Fidel Castro's regime and, since leaving Cuba, he continues to denounce human rights violations on the island and demands the freedom of political prisoners.
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