Ilsa Ramos, wife of the political prisoner Yasmany González Valdés, known as "El Libre," reported the extreme situation she faces alone in Cuba while caring for her son with autism, whose crises have become increasingly difficult to manage. Meanwhile, her husband remains incarcerated, ill, and, according to the family, without adequate medical care.
"My child, unfortunately, is going to kill me because I can no longer endure so many hits, because I do not have the strength to withstand this," Ramos expressed in a video posted on Facebook, in which she showed scratches on her body and recounted that her son hits her, pinches her, and destroys objects during his crises.
According to the explanation, the minor has broken the television, the phone, and the glass panes of the doors in the house. The caregiver who was attending to him stopped after being assaulted. Ramos's eldest son also tries to help restrain him, but he can't always do so.
The situation has become even more complicated since the arrest of González Valdés, who, according to Ramos, was the one who was best able to manage the child. The woman reported that she even had to take the minor for a visit to Combinado del Este because she couldn't find anyone to take care of him.
A psychiatrist recommended the hospitalization of the child, but Ramos is hesitant to consider that option due to the conditions in those centers. "It's like calling it the horror hospital," he stated. "Here in Cuba, there is no therapy; here in Cuba, there is nothing," he lamented.
The child does not attend school either due to lack of transportation and suitable conditions, according to his mother, and he spends nights awake because he cannot find melatonin. This is compounded by prolonged blackouts and issues with water supply. Ramos stated that he once paid 5,000 pesos for a tank of water.
The family's anguish is worsened by the health condition of Yasmany González Valdés, who is serving a four-year sentence for "propaganda against the constitutional order," after being arrested in April 2023 for his involvement in creating graffiti against the regime in Havana.
Ramos stated that during a recent visit, she found her husband with a high fever, without medication and not receiving the care he needed in prison. "I don’t know how he is [...] because here they let prisoners die," she reported.
In May 2026, González Valdés enjoyed his first prison leave in three years, during which he published photographs that revealed his physical deterioration. Days later, the authorities revoked the benefit and returned him to prison, a decision that the Cultural Rights Observatory denounced as retaliation for publicly displaying his condition.
Ramos acknowledged that the accumulated pressure is also seriously affecting his emotional state. "I have a very strong depressive state, a very strong one, because every day... I don't fix my hair, I don't take care of myself," he recounted. He stated that he is taking antidepressants and feels that his strength is dwindling.
The report comes at a time when Cuba is experiencing a record number of individuals imprisoned for political reasons. According to Prisoners Defenders, as of the end of August 2026, there were 1,339 political prisoners on the island.
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