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The Cuban-American congresswoman María Elvira Salazar denounced the Cuban regime this Wednesday for keeping Jonathan David Muir Burgos, a 16-year-old boy, imprisoned in the maximum-security prison of Canaleta in Ciego de Ávila since March 16.
Salazar's post on X was a direct response to the regime's propaganda maneuver, which that same day disseminated through the official media Razones de Cuba an image of the minor playing the piano at a cultural event inside the prison, aiming to refute claims regarding his physical deterioration.
"The Cuban regime may try to sell the world any story it wants, but we know exactly what it is," wrote Salazar.
The congresswoman described the regime as "a failed system that is collapsing under its own weight" and pointed out that it is now cracking down powerfully: "They are arresting those who speak out, those who protest, those who pray. They even have a 16-year-old, Jonathan Muir, behind bars since March 16."
Salazar concluded with a direct warning: "When a regime directs its power against children and against faith, it is not strength, it is desperation, and desperate regimes do not last."
The image of the piano disseminated by Razones de Cuba does not correspond to any of the specific complaints made by the minor's family.
The father of Jonathan, the evangelical pastor Elier Muir Ávila, has been emphatic: “He is malnourished, and he is getting weaker every day. He is very thin”, and he has warned that “his life is at risk.”
In a desperate call to his father at 1:45 AM on April 23, the teenager pleaded, "Dad, please get me out of here, Dad, I can’t take it anymore."
In that same call, he added, "The bedbugs are hurting me again, they won’t let me sleep, they’re biting me, they’re infecting my skin, and I feel like my brain is not going to hold up much longer."
The mother of the minor, the pastor Minervina Burgos López, described episodes of disorientation and vasovagal crises: "He is having crises: he falls asleep, and when he wakes up, he is disoriented, doesn't remember where he is, can't orient himself properly."
Jonathan receives only one serving of food a day in a disposable cup, suffers from severe dyshidrosis, infections caused by streptococcus and staphylococcus, and two intestinal parasites without medical attention.
The teenager was arrested on March 16 after participating in the protests on March 13 in Morón, triggered by power outages lasting over 26 hours daily and extreme food shortages.
He was transferred to Canaleta, an adult prison, despite being a minor, and charged with the crime of sabotage, a charge that can carry a prison sentence of seven to 15 years.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights granted precautionary measures to the minor through Resolution 30/2026, considering that their rights to life, personal integrity, and health are at risk of irreparable harm.
The regime did not respond to the prior request that the organization sent on April 10.
The congressman Mario Díaz-Balart reiterated his demand last Tuesday: “From the United States, we demand FREEDOM now for Jonathan David Muir Burgos! No minor should be persecuted or imprisoned for raising their voice against a dictatorship”.
According to Prisoners Defenders, Cuba recorded 1,250 political prisoners in March 2026, including 33 minors.
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