The Cuban activist Roilán Álvarez Rensoler, a member of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), was hospitalized after enduring over 30 days on a hunger strike while in custody of the authorities in the province of Holguín, as reported by the Cuban American National Foundation (FNCA).
According to the organization, the opposition figure had been detained since January 30, when he was arrested alongside other activists during protests. His case has raised concerns among activists and family members due to the deterioration of his health and the lack of official information about his situation.
The family of the opposition member went to the police unit "Pedernales" in Holguín this Tuesday to demand details about his condition and to find out which hospital he was taken to. According to his sister Arianna Álvarez, they had not been able to see him or receive clear information about his condition for over eight days.
In an audio shared by family members, Arianna explained that the last time she saw her brother was when there were already public reports regarding the serious physical decline he was experiencing due to the hunger strike.
"It's been over seven days since we last saw my brother. The last time I saw him was when there were reports that he was in terrible conditions," he recounted.
The family also stated that during that time they tried to obtain information through the lawyer and the authorities investigating the case, but they did not receive a response.
"We called the lawyer, we called the unit, the instructor handling the case, and no one answered us," he explained.
In the face of the authorities' silence, the mother, sister, and other family members decided to go directly to the police station to demand explanations about the activist's whereabouts.
Subsequently, the family's lawyer informed them that Álvarez Rensoler had been hospitalized, although they were not told which medical facility he was in or what his actual health status was.
"We want to know where my brother is and what is happening to him," demanded Arianna Álvarez, who also called for the authorities to inform the family about the seriousness of his condition.
Organizations and activists have denounced that the case reflects recurring patterns in the repression against opponents in Cuba, such as the isolation of detainees, the lack of transparency, and prolonged physical deterioration while in state custody.
Background of the Roilán Álvarez Rensoler case
The situation of Roilán Álvarez Rensoler had already raised concerns weeks earlier. On February 17, activists reported that the dissident had been on a hunger strike for 18 days in a detention center in Holguín, while his physical condition worsened.
The alert was shared by Nelva Ismarays Ortega Tamayo, a doctor and the wife of opposition leader José Daniel Ferrer, who stated that the activist was in critical condition while in custody.
According to reports, the opponent's sister, Arianna Álvarez, managed to see him during a visit and found him "very unwell and beaten," which heightened concerns about possible abuses within the detention center.
Ortega Tamayo also reported that Álvarez was held in a facility popularly known as "Todo el Mundo Canta," which opponents have labeled as an infamous place where mistreatment of detainees occurs.
According to his statements, the activist was on a hunger strike as a form of protest against what he considers an arbitrary detention for political reasons.
Organizations and activists then warned that prolonged hunger strikes can cause irreversible health damage, especially in precarious prison conditions, and called for the protection of their physical integrity.
This is not the first time the opposition figure has been involved in a protest of this kind.
In December 2020, Álvarez Rensoler was released from Mar Verde prison in Santiago de Cuba, after spending 30 days on a hunger strike while serving a one-year sentence of deprivation of liberty.
At that time, he had been sentenced for the alleged crimes of "hoarding," "disobedience," and "assault," charges that opponents and activists consider part of the criminalization against dissent on the Island.
After his release from prison, the activist reported having endured inhumane conditions, including a punishment cell where, he claimed, he suffered psychological and physical abuse.
Álvarez Rensoler is a member of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) and a promoter of the Cuba Decide initiative, organizations that have repeatedly denounced detentions and legal proceedings against opponents in the country.
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