The political prisoner Francisco Rangel Manzano, 64 years old, suffered a severe heart crisis early Saturday morning in the Canaleta prison in Perico, Matanzas, where he is serving a six-year sentence imposed after the protests on July 11, 2021.
His wife, Regla Burunate, a nurse by profession, received the news via telephone call from the prison around 12:20 PM on Saturday, July 18.
"This Saturday, July 18, my husband, through a phone call around 12:20 PM from Canaleta prison in Perico, informed me that in the early morning he had to be urgently taken to the infirmary because he was experiencing severe shortness of breath, intense chest pain, and extremely high blood pressure. He was given medication, stabilized, and subsequently returned to his cell," Burunate told Martí Noticias.
Rangel Manzano suffers from a high-risk heart condition that worsens the situation: "He has a possible ischemic etiology cardiomyopathy with moderate to severe systolic dysfunction of the left ventricle, which means it is a very serious condition," his wife explained.
The conditions of the prison, repeatedly denounced by human rights organizations, pose an additional danger for someone with that cardiovascular condition.
Burunate described cells with beds pressed against each other, lacking fans and experiencing extreme heat: "In a cubicle, there are many inmates; I don't know the exact number, but the beds are stuck one next to the other, leaving no room for anything, and it gets very hot; you can't even have a fan in there."
The critical situation in Canaleta prison is well-known: the facility houses over 3,000 inmates in conditions that haven't been updated since 1975, where prisoners receive barely a bucket of water every 24 hours for drinking, washing clothes, and personal hygiene.
Despite having served five of the six years of his sentence, the regime refuses to grant him an extrapenal license or parole, and has also not ordered the necessary medical-legal report to evaluate his release for health reasons, a process that has not been carried out in almost six years of confinement.
Burunate directly blamed State Security: "I hold State Security and the prison authorities responsible for whatever may happen. Pancho's health condition is very delicate, and they know it. He has already served five years of a six-year sentence, and for that reason, he could be granted a leave of absence or parole due to the time he has served, but the regime authorities refuse to do so."
Rangel Manzano was arrested on July 11, 2021, during the popular protests in Colón, Matanzas, as a member of the Party for Democracy Pedro Luis Boitel. He was tried in January 2022 and convicted of "assault" and "public disorder." In August 2023, he was transferred without prior notice to his family to the Canaleta prison as retaliation for the appearance of a "Patria y Vida" poster in his previous prison.
The case is set against a broader humanitarian crisis within the Cuban penitentiary system: Cubalex documented deaths in custody on 39 occasions during 2025 and at least 30 so far in 2026, many attributed to medical negligence and malnutrition. According to Prisoners Defenders, in July 2026 there are 1,306 political prisoners in Cuba, of which 338 were sentenced directly due to the protests of July 11th.
“I am going to the State Security, which is ultimately the one dealing with all these cases. They are involved with the doctors and with the prisons. The main link is State Security in this country,” warned Burunate, who announced that he would personally go to that institution to demand a response.
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