Repression in Morón, Ciego de Ávila, strikes a Cuban family once again, this time with a teenager at the center of the story.
The youngest son of evangelical pastor Elier Muir Ávila, a 16-year-old identified as Jonathan Muir Burgos, remains in detention after being summoned along with his father to a police station and subsequently taken to an unknown location, amid rising tension in the area.
The initial report was made by the opposition member Yoaxis Marcheco Suárez, who warned that both were taken by agents after responding to the summons. For hours, the family had no information about their whereabouts and fears that they may have been separated and beaten.
Concern is growing over the condition of the teenager. According to relatives, his health status is critical, which has caused alarm among family members and activists following the case.
Hours later, human rights organizations confirmed that the pastor was released, but not his son, who remains detained in the Technical Investigation Department (DTI) of Ciego de Ávila. There, according to reports, he is said to be undergoing prosecution and is threatened with facing charges "with the full force of the law."
The pastor himself reportedly expressed his anguish after coming out: he would have preferred to remain detained himself rather than see his son in that situation.
The case takes place within a broader context of repression following the protest that occurred in Morón on March 13. According to independent reports, in recent days there have been summonses, raids, and detentions, many of which are aimed at young people and minors.
Among the reported incidents is the arrest of another adolescent, whose home was allegedly violently raided by security forces.
The Muir family is not unfamiliar with this type of pressure. For years, they have been subjected to surveillance and restrictions due to their independent religious activities. International documents have reported allegations of harassment, interrogations, threats, and limitations on the exercise of their faith, as well as labor and economic obstacles.
The detention of the minor rekindles fears among many Cubans: that repression will not only target opponents or religious leaders, but also their children.
Meanwhile, the question raised by activist Marcheco resonates strongly both inside and outside the island: how is it possible that the release of political prisoners is announced while new arrests, even of adolescents, continue to occur?
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