José Daniel Ferrer García is a Cuban human rights activist born in Palma Soriano, Santiago de Cuba on July 29, 1970. He founded the Cuban Patriotic Union (UNPACU) in August 2011, a dissident organization that peacefully fights against any form of repression of civil liberties in Cuba.
In March 2003, he was arrested by Cuban authorities for being one of the main promoters of the Varela Project, a bill created and led by Cuban activist Oswaldo Payá in 1998, which advocated for political reforms in Cuba. He was one of the 75 prisoners of conscience incarcerated during the wave of arrests that occurred in the spring of 2003, known as the Black Spring of Cuba.
On that occasion, the Prosecutor's Office requested the death penalty for José Daniel. The pressure from international public opinion following the death in prison of political activist Orlando Zapata Tamayo in February 2010, and the hunger and thirst strike lasting 135 days with imminent danger of death from the dissident Guillermo Fariñas, led to the release of political prisoners after the offer of freedom in exchange for exile in Spain. Of the group of 116 political prisoners released thanks to the intervention of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Cuban Catholic Church, 12 prisoners, including Ferrer, refused to leave the island. Ultimately, he was released on August 24, 2011.
Since that moment, José Daniel has been detained and held incommunicado several times, and he has reported torture and lack of medical attention. Both he and the activists who are part of UNPACU have been threatened with imprisonment.
In February 2021, Ferrer was detained for 10 hours under threats of imprisonment if he did not abandon his activism and humanitarian work as soon as possible and seek employment with the state. The Biden Administration and the Vice President of the European Parliament, Dita Charanzová, called for the release of the activist.
A few days before the arrest of the leader, State Security officers disguised as garlic vendors violently attacked him while he was distributing food to vulnerable individuals in Santiago de Cuba.
After Ferrer put up signs reading "Patria y Vida" at his home and the UNPACU headquarters, regime supporters arrived with a crane, threw excrement, and defaced the facade to remove the signs. Inside the house were his small child, his wife, and several UNPACU activists and promoters of CubaDecide.
José Daniel Ferrer García has been awarded the following prizes:
Truman-Reagan Freedom Award by the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation 2020, XIII International Human Rights Award from the Hispano-Cuban Foundation based in Madrid, Democracy Award from the National Endowment for Democracy
