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The Defense Complaints Center CD demanded the urgent intervention of UNICEF in the case of Jonathan David Muir Burgos, the 16-year-old Cuban teenager detained in the maximum-security prison Canaleta, in Ciego de Ávila, where his health is deteriorating without receiving adequate medical care.
In a formal letter addressed to Sunny Guidotti, Deputy Representative of UNICEF in Havana, the organization reported that Jonathan suffers from severe dyshidrosis, infections caused by beta-hemolytic streptococcus and staphylococcus, intestinal parasitism, and serious dermatological issues, all in unsanitary conditions and without medical treatment.
Juan Carlos Vargas, director of the Reporting Center, was emphatic: "What is concerning at this moment is not only his detention but also how it is being handled: there is evident physical deterioration, recent episodes of illness without adequate medical attention, and an increasingly clear use of psychological pressure tactics, both on him and his family. This is not a static case; it is a situation that worsens day by day."
Jonathan was arrested on March 16 along with his father, the evangelical pastor Elier Muir Ávila, when both attended a police summons in Morón. The father was released that same day; the minor was transferred to the Technical Department of Investigations in Ciego de Ávila and later was formally charged with the crime of sabotage for his alleged participation in the protests on March 13, triggered by a blackout lasting over 26 hours and the chronic shortage of food.
On April 3, he was transferred to Canaleta, a maximum-security prison for adults, where, according to reports, he spent six nights sleeping on the floor to avoid a mattress infested with bedbugs. The court rejected both the habeas corpus petition and the request for a change of precautionary measures presented by his defense. The first lawyer who took on the case abandoned it due to the pressure.
His father declared this Monday that Jonathan "is desperate to get out of that place" and that "his health, both physical and mental, is deteriorating." For his part, Mike Hammer, chief of mission at the United States Embassy in Cuba, posted a video conversing with the parents of the teenager and demanding his immediate release.
Cuban authorities are using the visitation regime as a means of pressure: they cancel meetings arbitrarily and threaten to restrict personal contact if the family continues to provide public testimonies to international organizations.
Vargas emphasized to UNICEF the seriousness of state responsibility: "We are talking about a child, and when it comes to a minor, the standards are higher and the responsibilities as well. The state has him in custody; it must guarantee his integrity, health, and development, and that is not happening."
The case is accumulating increasing international pressure. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights requested explanations from the Cuban regime on April 10 regarding the detention. U.S. Congress members Carlos Giménez and María Elvira Salazar have publicly demanded their release.
"We hope that UNICEF not only takes note but also takes action. That it exercises its mandate, speaks out, and contributes to generating pressure to protect Jonathan. Because at this point, silence also has consequences," emphasized the director of the Defense Complaint Center CD.
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