Amnesty International published an action calling for the immediate and unconditional release of the married couple of Cuban activists Donaida Pérez Paseiro and Loreto Hernández García, recognized as prisoners of conscience by the organization and held at the Guamajal prison complex in Villa Clara.
The document states that at the beginning of October, both reported suffering from serious illnesses, receiving inadequate medication and nutrition, and lacking sufficient healthcare.
Documented conditions include ischemic heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes with diabetic polyneuropathy, along with episodes of loss of consciousness.
Amnesty also demands compensation for the violations suffered, including racial and religious discrimination, and calls for the couple to receive appropriate medical attention immediately.
Loreto Hernández García, president of the Free Yoruba Association of Cuba and a Yoruba priest, was arrested days after July 11 and sentenced in February 2022 to seven years in prison for contempt and public disorder.
Donaida Pérez Paseiro, president of the same organization and Yoruba priestess, received an eight-year sentence for the same charges in that process, which Amnesty International deemed unjust and lacking sufficient evidence.
Donaida was released in January 2025 as part of a group of 553 inmates granted early release measures, but the Provincial People's Court of Villa Clara revoked her parole on June 11 of that year, citing failure to appear for a court summons and work irregularities.
Human rights organizations attribute that decision to political motivations: following her release, Donaida continued to publicly demand the freedom of her husband and other prisoners of conscience.
Reports regarding the health condition are accompanied by pressures for the couple to accept exile as a condition for their release from prison. State Security agents contacted Loreto to demand foreign documents and thereby facilitate leaving the country, according to reports circulated in October.
Political prisoner Jorge Luis García Pérez "Antúnez," Loreto's maternal brother, confirmed these discussions and warned that their physical deterioration has led them to consider this option: "The abject conditions they face have made them decide to choose exile," he stated.
Donaida, for her part, was clear about her intentions: "They know that the day we are released from prison, we will continue our fight for the freedom of Cuba."
The deterioration of the couple's health has been documented for months. Last April, Rosabel Sánchez, daughter of Loreto, reported after a visit that her father was experiencing severe respiratory issues, unmanaged diabetes, pancreatitis, ischemic heart disease, and hypertension, while Donaida was suffering from chronic bone pain and very high blood pressure.
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