Elier Muir, father of the 16-year-old teenager Jonathan Muir, imprisoned in Canaletas prison in Ciego de Ávila, described in an interview with CiberCuba the state of his son as one of despair and increasing physical and mental deterioration following an unscheduled two-hour visit, the third since the young man was placed in that maximum-security facility for adults.
"He's desperate to get out of that place, sister. He is anxious. His health is deteriorating, both physically and mentally. It is a cruel, harsh place, and he urgently asks us to get him out of there because he does not want to be there. He should not be in that place," said his father in the interview with CiberCuba.
He also mentioned that at the time of his arrest, the boy was waiting to leave Cuba to attend a medical appointment in the United States, which has had to be postponed due to his detainment.
In the interview with CiberCuba, Dr. Miguel Ángel Ruano, president of the Free Cuban Medical Guild, also participated from Colombia. He has updated Jonathan Muir's medical history and has publicly offered to advise the second lawyer handling the case, as the first could not handle the pressure and left.
Jonathan Muir was arrested on March 16 along with his father after participating in the demonstration on March 13 in Morón. The court denied a habeas corpus petition presented in his defense, and he was subsequently transferred to the Canaletas prison, a maximum-security facility for adults.
The case has generated increasing international pressure. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights requested explanations from the Cuban regime, and U.S. Congressman Carlos Giménez demanded the release of the young man. According to recent reports, two 16-year-old teenagers remained imprisoned in Cuba following the protests in March.
The conditions in Canaletas are particularly harsh. The prison was the scene of a riot triggered by hunger demands, and Jonathan reportedly spent six nights sleeping on the floor since his arrival at the facility.
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