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Cuban citizens delivered a Citizen Petition for an Amnesty Law to the National Assembly of People's Power (ANPP) this Wednesday, supported by 1,535 verified signatures, to demand the release of individuals imprisoned for political reasons in the country.
The initiative is part of the campaign “Amnesty Now!”, a civic action driven by the families of political prisoners and citizens both inside and outside the island, stated a statement published on social media.
According to its promoters, the petition is framed within the constitutional right of complaint and request, outlined in Article 61 of the Constitution of the Republic and in Law No. 167/2023, which regulates the procedure for exercising that right before state institutions.
The handover ceremony took place at the headquarters of the National Assembly, attended by Yenisey Mercedes Taboada Ortiz —mother of political prisoner Duannis León Taboada—, Jenny V. Pantoja Torres, and Miryorly García Prieto, who assumed the role of formal representative before the authorities to monitor the process.
The submitted documentation includes a technical-legal report in support of the request, the Citizens' Petition Letter for an Amnesty Law published on social media on January 11, and the list of signatories.
In total, the campaign has gathered 2,155 valid supports, of which 1,535 were matched, verified, and delivered at this initial stage.
According to the information released by the organizers, 59% of the signatories reside permanently in Cuba, while 6% are relatives of political prisoners, with mothers being the primary connection.
The document highlights that the collection of signatures will remain open to include new endorsements, which will be presented to the Assembly progressively once validated.
The letter, addressed to the president of the Cuban Parliament and all the deputies, calls for the discussion and approval of an Amnesty Law that would allow for the rectification of "a prolonged injustice" and provide "a humanitarian and reconciliation gesture."
In the text, the signatories reference excerpts from the essay “The Political Prisoner in Cuba” by José Martí and recall that the only amnesty approved in the recent history of the country was in 1955, decreed by Fulgencio Batista to release the assailants of the Moncada barracks.
The document also refers to a previous request made in January 2024 by Wilber Aguilar Bravo, the father of political prisoner Walnier Luis Aguilar Rivera, which was returned without a formal response.
The advocates believe that, since then, "the situation of political prisoners has worsened" and assert that in the country "there are more than 1,000 people imprisoned for political reasons," many of whom were sentenced following the protests on July 11, 2021.
The petition denounces the persistence of disproportionate sentences, the lack of official recognition of the political nature of the cases, and the overcrowded conditions in prisons, which, according to the organizers, affect more than 90,000 inmates in total.
In this context, the signatories consider a humanitarian response that alleviates the suffering of families and reduces the social and economic cost of the penitentiary system to be "urgent."
The promoters of "For Amnesty Now!" stated that their purpose is civic and not partisan, and they committed to protecting the confidentiality of the signatories' personal data, limiting public disclosure to names and countries of residence.
"This action seeks to express the desire to accompany the pain of hundreds of families and prevent that wound from remaining open due to the refusal to accept dissent in the soul of the Cuban nation," the statement notes.
The initiative, which can be signed by any Cuban citizen —whether residing in the country or not— will remain open in the coming weeks.
The organizers reiterated their hope that the National Assembly will respond in accordance with the law and allow the proposal to be debated as part of the regular legislative process.
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