The Spanish expolitician Rocío Monasterio announced this Wednesday through her Instagram account that she will take on the role of political godmother for two Cubans linked to the opposition: Roilán Álvarez Rensoler and Guillermo del Sol Pérez, as part of the #ApadrinaUnPresoPolítico campaign by the Casla Institute.
"Starting today, I have the honor of being the godmother of two Cuban political prisoners: Roilán Álvarez Rensoler and Guillermo del Sol. Both imprisoned for defending the freedom of all Cubans and for opposing the murderous regime of Havana led by Raúl Castro and his lackey Díaz-Canel," wrote Monasterio.
"Rolán and Guillermo, we are not going to leave you alone; we are proud of your courage and bravery. We will fight for your freedom, hold on," he emphasized.
Monasterio, who identified herself in the video as "Hispano-Cuban," promised to give voice and visibility to both men and their families from Spain: "I hope that soon, very soon, when you regain your freedom, we can embrace each other and shout ¡Viva Cuba Libre!".
Roilán Álvarez Rensoler, a member of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) and promoter of Cuba Decide, was arrested on January 30 in the municipality of Mella, Santiago de Cuba, accused of "propaganda against the constitutional order" for anti-government graffiti and damage to a billboard featuring the image of Fidel Castro.
After his arrest, he undertook a hunger strike lasting nearly 50 days which concluded with a heart collapse and hospital resuscitation in March. In July, he suffered a brutal beating in the provincial prison of Holguín that left him with both arms broken and injuries to his head, apparently because he refused to wear the standard uniform, according to his sister's report.
At the beginning of August, the regime conditioned his release on his family purchasing a ticket to Guyana so he could leave the country.
Guillermo del Sol Pérez, an activist from Cuba Decide based in Santa Clara, is not in prison, although Monasterio presents him as a political prisoner. Since June 19, he has been on a from Villa Clara, including Félix Navarro Rodríguez and Mayelín Rodríguez Prado.
Upon completing 61 days on a hunger strike, his condition is described as critical and in immediate danger by his family and human rights organizations.
On August 5, amid the visible deterioration of his health, Guillermo del Sol declared: "I don't want to die".
Rocío, a former Spanish leader of the Vox party, has Cuban roots: her father was Cuban of Asturian descent, and the family owned sugar businesses in Cienfuegos that were expropriated after the revolution, which led to the family's exile in Spain. She holds dual Spanish and Cuban nationality and has maintained a strongly critical stance towards the regime in Havana.
The Casla Institute, led by activist Tamara Sujú, promotes the campaign by assigning public figures as godparents to individuals imprisoned for political reasons in Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Iran, and Russia, aiming to keep their cases visible.
According to statements from Sujú, the initiative has had 93 beneficiaries, of which 54 have been released.
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