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The Cuban-American congressman Mario Díaz-Balart denounced this Thursday the cruelty of the Cuban regime for forcing the young political prisoner Jonathan David Muir Burgos, just 16 years old, to play the piano while he is held in the maximum-security prison of Canaleta, in Ciego de Ávila.
The complaint responds to a propaganda maneuver by the regime: the official media outlet Razones de Cuba circulated an image on Wednesday of the teenager playing a keyboard at a cultural event inside the prison, accompanied by the message "The piano doesn't lie. The photo is there. And Jonathan... there he is, safe and sound, with his little hands on the keys."
"The regime in Cuba continues to show its cruelty by forcing young political prisoner Jonathan David Muir Burgos, just 16 years old, to play the piano while he remains unjustly detained. This is an abuse and a blatant violation of his human rights. From the United States, we demand his immediate and unconditional release," wrote Díaz-Balart.
The father of the minor, the evangelical pastor Elier Muir Ávila, reported that participation in the event was contingent on the promise of a family visit as a "reward," which adds a dimension of coercion to the maneuver.
The image does not address any of the specific allegations regarding the child's condition. The pastor has described Jonathan as "undernourished, decreasing more and more each day. He is very thin" and that "his life is in danger."
In a desperate call to his father at 1:45 AM on April 23, the teenager pleaded, "Dad, please get me out of here, I can't take it anymore," and described how the bedbugs wouldn’t let him sleep and that he felt like his mind "can’t take it anymore."
His mother, the shepherdess Minervina Burgos López, described episodes of vasovagal crisis and disorientation: "he falls asleep and when he wakes up, he is disoriented, he doesn't remember where he is, he can't find his bearings."
Jonathan receives only one meal a day in a disposable cup; he suffers from severe dyshidrosis, infections from streptococcus and staphylococcus, and two intestinal parasites without medical attention.
The teenager was arrested on March 16 after participating in the protests in Morón, triggered by daily blackouts lasting over 26 hours and extreme food shortages.
The Municipal Prosecutor's Office accused him of the crime of sabotage, a charge that can carry a prison sentence of between seven and 15 years, and he was transferred to Canaleta despite being a minor.
The Cuban-American congresswoman María Elvira Salazar also denounced the piano maneuver as propaganda on Wednesday: «When a regime directs its power against children and faith, it is not strength; it is desperation, and desperate regimes do not last.»
This Thursday, Sandro Castro, the grandson of Fidel Castro, spoke out on Instagram about the case calling for attention to the minor's health: "Perhaps due to his youth he did not fully comprehend the consequences of his actions, but the resulting punishment is neither fair nor appropriate for someone his age."
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights granted precautionary measures to the adolescent 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 sent on April 10 to Chancellor Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla.
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