The Cuban activist and independent journalist Guillermo del Sol Pérez reached his 61st day of hunger strike on Monday at his home in Santa Clara, with a health condition that his family and human rights organizations describe as critical and imminently dangerous, as alerted his son to Martí Noticias.
“Today marks 61 days of hunger strike for Guillermo del Sol, who is in a very advanced state of deterioration,” declared Adrián del Sol, the activist's son, who explained that a doctor who visited the opposition figure noted very high blood pressure and a glucose level of four, without specifying the unit of measurement.
Del Sol suffers from type 2 diabetes, severe hypertension, asthma, and heart disease as pre-existing conditions, which significantly worsens the effects of prolonged fasting.
In addition to hypertension and low glucose, the activist suffers from intense pain in the kidneys and back, as well as severe headaches.
One of the symptoms that worries his family the most is the almost complete loss of the ability to communicate. "He no longer speaks. He has difficulty when it comes to talking," Adrián revealed.
During the day on Monday, the opposition figure had barely consumed any liquids and had been unable to urinate, signs that his son interpreted as indications of a possible organic collapse.
"It is concerning because we are almost at the end of the cycle of creating a shock. We are keeping an eye on any outcome and are very worried about the situation," the son warned.
The Cuban American National Foundation (FNCA) described the activist's condition as "extremely critical" in a post on X, noting that Del Sol has only been consuming water throughout the hunger strike, although he is now facing difficulties even in drinking it and in moving.
The organization also noted that the opposition figure has experienced episodes of hypotension, high blood pressure, and marked physical weakness. "Opponents and religious figures who have visited him have urged him to end the protest to preserve his life," stated the FNCA.
Del Sol began the hunger strike on June 19, 2026, to demand the release of 18 political prisoners and to protest the revocation of the parole of Leonel Tristá García, a protester from July 11, 2021, in Santa Clara, whose extrapenal license was revoked three days before the start of the strike.
Among the prisoners whose release is being demanded are the historic opponent Félix Navarro Rodríguez, re-incarcerated in April 2025 after a brief release, against whom a brutal beating was reported in the Agüica prison in April of this year, and Mayelín Rodríguez Prado.
An update on August 15 indicated that one of the 18 detainees being sought, Jonathan David Muir Burgos, had already been released, but 17 remained incarcerated at the time of that report.
This is not the first time Del Sol has resorted to such an extreme measure. According to Memory of Nations, the activist has staged at least 14 hunger strikes throughout his life. The most well-known before the current one was in 2019, which lasted 55 days and ended with his hospitalization at the Arnaldo Milián Castro Hospital in Santa Clara. The hunger strike in 2026 has already surpassed that mark; Del Sol himself stated after reaching 49 days: "I don't want to die."
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