The Cuban boxer Yordenis Ugás sent a strong message on his X account this Tuesday in defense of the anonymous political prisoners of Cuba, warning that those who only speak out for the more well-known—motivated by trends or a desire for recognition on social media—end up harming the cause of all those imprisoned.
The former boxer explained that in his last fight, held on June 6 in Hermosillo, Mexico, he wore the names of unknown prisoners on his fight gear, a deliberate choice to bring visibility to those who suffer the most precisely due to their lack of public recognition.
"In my last big fight, I had many names of political prisoners on my fighting gear, but for the anonymous prisoners, for those who are not known and suffer more," wrote Ugás.
The former world welterweight champion of the World Boxing Association clarified that the attire did not feature names of recognized figures like Maykel Osorbo or Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara: "I do this out of conviction, and there are more than a thousand political prisoners, which is why neither Maykel nor Luis Manuel were on my clothing, some of the most well-known prisoners."
In the photograph that accompanied his publication, Ugás is seen wearing a headband with the slogan "Patria y Vida" and white shorts featuring the number 54, on which names such as Ángel Jesús Veliz Marcano, Lirandis Gongora, Amalia Álvarez, Vander Rodríguez Iglesias, Adrián Ojales Mora, Luis Armando Cruz Aguilera, and Franky Báez Alborno can be read, among others.
The message arrives at a time of debate within the Cuban exile community. In July, the regime released Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara after five years of sentencing, under the condition of permanent exile, and his arrival in Miami on July 19 sparked mixed reactions within the Cuban community abroad.
Meanwhile, Maykel Osorbo remained imprisoned and was transferred to a maximum-security prison in mid-July, despite the fact that the United States approved a humanitarian parole in his favor with no immediate effect on his situation.
Ugás pointed directly at those who, upon discovering that some well-known prisoners "are not perfect," take the opportunity to discredit all those incarcerated: "If you, for trends or likes, have only asked for freedom for the well-known, and now you've realized they are not perfect, and you want to undermine all political prisoners, thinking that everything is over just because one or two have been released, you are mistaken."
He was categorical in establishing a boundary: "No personal differences, mistakes, or disagreements can justify discrediting political prisoners."
The athlete, who in July had already publicly defended Otero Alcántara upon his arrival in Miami, concluded his post with an unambiguous message: "The majority of political prisoners are suffering in prison. And any other message is infamous and harmful."
The organization Prisoners Defenders documented 1,327 political prisoners in Cuba as of the end of July 2026, a record number published on August 12, which reflects a steady increase throughout the year: 1,214 in February, 1,250 in March, 1,281 in May, and 1,306 in June.
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