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The United States Embassy in Havana has committed to reviewing the case of Alexander Díaz Rodríguez, a former Cuban political prisoner who served a five-year sentence and was released from prison with terminal throat cancer, hepatitis B, severe malnutrition, and weighing only 37 kilograms.
The diplomatic mission contacted Díaz Rodríguez directly and confirmed that it will evaluate the available mechanisms to assist him, including a possible humanitarian visa that would allow him to travel to the United States for medical care and access to medications.
Díaz Rodríguez, 45 years old, was arrested at 40 during the protests on July 11, 2021, in Cárdenas, Matanzas, and sentenced for the crimes of "sedition" and "disrespect." He served his full five-year sentence without the Díaz-Canel regime granting him any form of clemency.
Upon entering prison, I weighed 81 kilograms; upon leaving, 37, a loss of 44 kilograms in five years.
In an exclusive interview with NTN24, Díaz Rodríguez appeared without an ounce of body fat, missing several teeth, and suffering from terminal throat cancer that severely impairs his ability to speak. Despite his condition, he tried to downplay his situation: "I'm a bit thin, but I'm alive."
The former prisoner recounted the systematic mistreatment he suffered during his confinement: "They were very harsh, very harsh on me. I have gone through quite a few things with conviction for my principles and my offenses, several punishment cells, which were many, an average of 11 or 12 punishment cells, and a lot of physical and verbal abuse."
During his incarceration, he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in October 2022, but did not receive adequate oncological treatment. In April 2025, he was briefly admitted to Abel Santamaría Hospital for vomiting blood, but was then transferred to a correctional facility in Cabo de San Antonio for forced labor without oncological care.
José Daniel Ferrer García, leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), reported last Sunday on Díaz's physical condition in a video posted on Facebook, comparing Cuban prisons to Nazi-style concentration camps in the 21st century.
Ferrer was emphatic in rejecting any interpretation of the release as a gesture from the regime. "This man was released because he fully served his sentence; don't let anyone tell me now that he was pardoned and that it was a gesture of benevolence from the infamous and criminal tyranny," he said.
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