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The Cuban mixed martial arts champion Javier Ernesto Martín Gutiérrez, known as "Spiderman," managed to send a handwritten letter from Villa Marista to the human rights organization Cubalex, which published it as an alert for a political prisoner, detailing the abuses he has suffered since his arrest on April 24.
Martín was arrested that day at the corner of 43rd and 90th Streets in Havana as he was leaving training, after more than a week of peaceful protests from his balcony in Marianao, where he publicly denounced the social crisis, hunger, street violence, and the use of synthetic drugs among young people.
In his letter, the athlete describes a detention that he labeled as kidnapping: "I was assaulted by nearly 10 security officers who did not identify themselves and ambushed me; once immobilized, they squeezed my testicles and beat me, ruthlessly hitting me on the back of the head and neck... they put me in a van where they also turned me upside down, and after a while, they laid me down and stomped on my head."
The agents, dressed in civilian clothing, first took him to the San Agustín unit and then to Villa Marista, the historical headquarters of the State Security’s investigative bodies in Havana, linked to interrogations and political repression since the 1960s.
According to the letter, the medical attention after the blows was minimal: "The check-up was visual and they took my blood pressure. After 24 hours, I requested to be seen and they cleaned the wounds."
The athlete also claims that spoiled food caused him to lose 25 pounds during his incarceration, that his belongings were handed over to another cell where they remained for a week before being returned, and that "the instructor and the officers conspire to cover up the wrongdoing."
The regime tried to discredit him by claiming "behaviors associated with undiagnosed psychiatric disorders," a tactic historically used against dissidents, but a psychiatric evaluation ruled out mental health issues on May 1.
Shortly before, authorities attempted to impose a new charge for "inciting the population to protest", which human rights organizations describe as the fabrication of criminal charges related to public expression.
In the letter, Martín requests the prosecution to change the precautionary measure and commits to not expressing or reporting any more social issues, but makes his state of mind clear: “I do not feel regret, rather I am disappointed with everything.”
The case occurs within a context of increasing repression: Prisoners Defenders reported in April an all-time high of 1,260 political prisoners in Cuba, with reports of torture, assaults, and death threats.
Cubalex demands the immediate release of Javier Martín, guarantees for his physical integrity, and an end to the repression against those who exercise their right to protest.
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