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The Cuban teenager Jonathan David Muir Burgos, 16 years old, was found "very weak" and emotionally affected by his parents during a visit this Monday to the Canaleta provincial prison in Ciego de Ávila, where he has been detained since March.
The evangelical pastor Mario Félix Lleonart, director of the Patmos Institute and exiled in the United States, conveyed the message he received from the father of the minor, also a pastor, Elier Muir Ávila, at the end of the visit: "Our son is not well, he feels very weak and is not receiving medication," reported Martí Noticias.
The farewell was particularly heartbreaking for the family.
"In saying goodbye, Elier saw him standing behind some bars, crying and with a very sad expression. He told me, 'Today I left feeling very sad; it breaks my heart,'" Lleonart recounted.
Jonathan was arrested on March 16 along with his father when they responded to a police summons in Morón, following his alleged involvement in the protests on March 13 in that city, sparked by power outages exceeding 26 hours a day and extreme food shortages.
The father was released hours later; Jonathan, on the other hand, was transferred to Canaleta, a maximum-security adult prison, despite being only 16 years old.
The Municipal Prosecutor's Office of Morón accuses him of the crime of sabotage, a charge that can carry a prison sentence of between seven and 15 years.
The physical deterioration of the child has been documented progressively. They suffer from severe dyshidrosis, infections caused by streptococcus and staphylococcus, two untreated intestinal parasites, vasovagal crises with episodes of disorientation, and malnutrition.
Receives only one meal a day in a disposable cup.
In the early hours of April 23, Jonathan called his father in tears: "Dad, please, get me out of here, Dad, I can't take it anymore."
The regime attempted to counter the accusations by disseminating, through the official medium Razones de Cuba, an image of Jonathan playing the piano at a cultural event inside the prison, which was denounced as propaganda by the family and activists.
Lleonart also reported that nearly two months after the arrest, the authorities have not provided the family with any official document certifying the minor's incarceration.
"It is very sad that there is not a single document that officially proves Jonathan is imprisoned, while the regime insists internationally that there are no political or conscience prisoners in Cuba," he noted.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) granted precautionary measures to the minor on April 24 through Resolution 30/2026, considering that their rights to life, personal integrity, and health were at risk. The Cuban government ignored the prior request sent by the agency on April 10.
Cuban-American Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart publicly demanded: "From the United States, we demand FREEDOM now for Jonathan David Muir Burgos! No minor should be pursued or imprisoned for raising their voice against a dictatorship."
Jonathan had a medical appointment scheduled at a hospital in Washington D.C. for May 20, 2026, rescheduled for the eighth time since 2023 due to delays in his humanitarian visa, while his health continues to deteriorate within Canaleta.
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