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Felipe Rodríguez Ledesma, a 68-year-old Cuban and tricycle driver in San Antonio de los Baños, has been imprisoned for over 40 days for placing a sign on his electric bike-taxi that read: "I don't carry clarias or snitches. Only free men."
He was arrested on March 3 in that locality of the province of Artemisa, and to this day, no court has assessed his case or made a statement regarding his legal situation.
Her sister, Maggie Y. Ale Agüero, has been the leading voice of denunciation on social media and is raising awareness about a situation that directly threatens Felipe's life: the pacemaker that expired on March 23 and has not been able to be replaced because the necessary equipment does not exist in Cuba.
"Felipe is a 68-year-old man, sick and connected to a pacemaker that expired on March 23, but in Cuba, once called a medical power, there is no equipment to replace it," Agüero wrote on Facebook, holding the police, State Security, and the dictatorship accountable for the life and physical and mental well-being of his brother.
The sign that cost him his freedom used two terms from Cuban political slang: "clarias", a derogatory term used to refer to militants or supporters of the Communist Party, and "chivatos", a word used to designate informers of State Security.
Odaly H. Rizo, a resident of San Antonio de los Baños, was the first to bring the case to public attention and described Felipe as one of those people who brighten your day with their antics and good humor.
He also reported that the officer who arrested him threatened him by saying, "I feel like shooting you right here," and that he was beaten while being a "helpless and sick" man.
"This is not a crime; he owns his vehicle and can ride with whomever he chooses," Rizo wrote on Facebook.
The situation worsened when the authorities announced their intention to confiscate Felipe's tricycle to hand it over to the local government, despite the fact that no judge has reviewed the case.
A police instructor has already communicated this decision to the family. "Not even an impartial judge has heard their case, yet they now have what continues to be their property," Agüero claimed.
The vehicle, an electric bicitaxi made by XINGE from China, was purchased by Felipe through his own effort and with help from family and friends; it was not provided by the government.
Felipe's case fits into a pattern of systematic repression documented by human rights organizations.
Agüero summarized his brother's situation like this: "His crime is being free and deciding whom he gives a ride in his vehicle." He issued a warning to all Cubans: "Today it's my brother in prison, tomorrow it could be yours."
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