The Cuban mixed martial arts fighter Javier Martín Gutiérrez, known as "Spiderman" and a former champion of the Cuban Fighters League in the 135-pound category, published a letter from the maximum security prison Combinado del Este in which he denounces irregularities in his criminal proceedings and openly challenges the Cuban regime.
The document, disseminated this Sunday by Martí Noticias, is addressed to the prosecutor handling his case, and represents the second public communication known from the athlete since he was incarcerated, this time with a distinctly political and defiant tone.
"I won't bow my head to anyone, I'm not afraid! They won't break me, they won't change my principles and ideology, I stand firm," writes Martín Gutiérrez, drawing on the ideals of José Martí.
The athlete, a resident of Marianao, Havana, was violently detained on April 24 by plainclothes agents after several days of peaceful protests from his balcony, during which he criticized the blackouts, food shortages, and the deterioration of living conditions in Cuba.
The athlete describes his arrest as a "kidnapping" and claims to have been beaten on the head, neck, and other parts of his body by nearly ten officers before being taken to Villa Marista, the headquarters of State Security.
After 22 days of investigation during which toxicological tests, mental health evaluations, and inquiries into foreign funding returned negative results, he was sent to Combinado del Este under pre-trial detention on May 25th.
In the letter, Martín Gutiérrez rejects the charge of disrupting public order and claims to have the support of his neighbors.
Furthermore, it contrasts the speed with which the regime acted against him with their inaction towards real crime in his community: "Did they fix the disturbance of public order on Avenida 41 El Lido? No! Did they address the drug problem? No! They say it got out of hand. What about the violent robberies by minors? Neither!"
The athlete describes his imprisonment as a direct reprisal for speaking out: "What am I being accused of? Of being a spokesperson for the pain of my people against the government that runs it, an island that does not shine like a pearl but rather sinks into blackouts of more than 48 hours, in a precarious situation where people live without water or food."
The case has transcended the borders of the island. On August 12, the United States Government described Martín Gutiérrez as "unjustly detained" and demanded attention to his situation, noting that months after his arrest, the regime had still not brought formal public charges against him.
According to human rights organizations, Cuba reached a historic high of between 1,260 and 1,281 political prisoners in 2026, a figure that places the case of the fighter within a systematic pattern of repression.
The athlete's family was still awaiting a trial date at the time the letter was released, while Martín Gutiérrez reaffirmed from his cell a stance that the regime has been unable to break: "I remain steadfast."
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