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Amnesty International Americas issued an Urgent Action demanding the immediate release of Jonathan David Muir Burgos, a 16-year-old Cuban adolescent held in an adult prison in Cuba for participating in protests in Morón, Ciego de Ávila.
The document, identified as AU 49/26 (index AMR 25/1001/2026), designates Jonathan as a prisoner of conscience and indicates that his case fits into a pattern of criminalizing peaceful protest in Cuba.
Jonathan was arrested on March 16 alongside his father, the evangelical pastor Elier Muir Ávila, when both attended a police summons days after the protests on March 13, when dozens of residents took to the streets of Morón following at least eight consecutive days of banging pots and pans due to power outages lasting more than 26 hours.
The father was released hours later; the teenager was first taken to the Technical Investigations Department in Ciego de Ávila and then to Canaleta, a maximum-security adult prison.
The Municipal Prosecutor's Office of Morón accuses him of the crime of "sabotage," a charge that could result in a prison sentence of seven to 15 years.
Jonathan's health has progressively deteriorated while in custody: he suffers from severe dyshidrosis, infections caused by streptococcus and staphylococcus, two untreated intestinal parasites, vasovagal crises with episodes of disorientation and malnutrition, and he receives one meal a day in a disposable cup.
His family has publicly stated that they found him weak and emotionally distressed during prison visits.
The father also reported that his son is being attacked by common prisoners at the instigation of State Security: "Dad, they are already sending prisoners at me to beat me up, to hurt me," the teenager confessed.
The mother, Minervina Burgos López, stated in NTN24 that her son keeps telling her, "Please, get me out of here, mom. I can't stand being in this place."
Amnesty International urges Cuban authorities to immediately release Jonathan, transfer him out of any adult detention centers, provide him with appropriate medical care, and ensure his regular access to family and legal assistance.
The organization also urges citizens to send letters to President Miguel Díaz-Canel demanding the release of the minor and the cessation of the use of serious criminal charges to punish those who peacefully exercise their right to freedom of expression and assembly.
The international response has been increasing but ignored by the regime: the Provincial People's Court rejected a habeas corpus in March, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH) granted protective measures to the adolescent in April due to considering their rights to life, personal integrity, and health to be at irreparable risk, and the regime also disregarded that resolution.
On May 16, Freedom House joined the calls for release, describing the imprisonment as "a chilling reminder that the Cuban regime is willing to imprison even minors for exercising their fundamental rights."
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