Political prisoners Félix Navarro and his daughter Saylí Navarro categorically rejected the proposal to leave Cuba, after the Auxiliary Bishop of Havana visited their respective prisons to offer them exile as an option, according to reported Martí Noticias this Wednesday.
The information was confirmed by Sonia Álvarez Campillo, the wife of Félix and mother of Saylí, in an audio message.
"Last Tuesday, the Auxiliary Bishop of Havana and President of the National Penitentiary Pastoral, Eloy Ricardo Domínguez Martínez, visited the Agüica prison with the aim of inviting Félix to leave the country," he declared.
After the visit to Agüica, the prelate moved to the La Bellotex women's prison, where Saylí is serving her sentence, to present her with the same proposal.
"They already know Félix's response and Saylí's response, that they are not going to leave the country," emphasized Álvarez Campillo.
The bishop also expressed concern about the brutal beating suffered by Félix Navarro on April 10 at the hands of officer Yoslen Pedroso Sotolongo, the head of searches in Agüica, after which he was transferred to a punishment cell in total isolation.
The ecclesiastical visit comes at a time of serious deterioration in the health of the 72-year-old opposition member, who suffers from diabetes and respiratory issues. His family has repeatedly reported the denial of adequate medical care in prison.
Saylí, a member of the Ladies in White, was unable to visit her father for over 137 days despite having the right to do so every 45 days. The regime allowed a meeting between them on April 18, just days before the bishop's visit.
The political prisoner Iván Hernández Carrillo, from the Black Spring of 2003 and who also rejected exile in 2011, made an urgent call to the ecclesiastical authorities.
"To intercede for the health, life, and freedom of these political prisoners and all political prisoners in Cuba," he demanded.
The stance of father and daughter is not new. Félix Navarro already rejected exile in 2011 when he was released after serving eight of the 25 years to which he was sentenced during the Black Spring as part of the "Group of 75."
The Supreme Court revoked his parole on April 29, 2025, just months after he was released for health reasons following negotiations with the Vatican.
Both were sentenced for their involvement in the protests of July 11, 2021: Félix to nine years and Saylí to eight. Amnesty International declared them prisoners of conscience in October 2024.
Hernández Carrillo also urged the Church to ask the regime for the immediate release of the Navarro family and to put an end to "the constant abuses, punishments, and violations" that those condemned for ideological reasons endure, amid a growing international pressure on Havana to free its political prisoners.
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