The 1,285 days of José Daniel Ferrer in a prison of the Cuban dictatorship: isolation cell, hunger strikes and torture

Last Thursday, the Cuban dictatorship released Jose Daniel Ferrerfounder of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) and prisoner of conscience three timeswithin the framework of the plan to release detainees for political reasons announced by Havana, following the United States’ decision to remove the island from the list of countries that promote terrorism.

The news was received with joy by the international community and human rights defenders, who highlighted Ferrer’s work as a staunch opponent of the abuses of the Castro dictatorship.

The dissident had been arrested on July 11, 2021in Santiago de Cuba, while trying to participate in the peaceful demonstrations that exploded that day throughout the island and are popularly known as 11J. Since then, His family reported abuse, inhuman conditions and extreme isolationin what they considered an attempt by the regime Miguel Diaz-Canel and Raul Castro of “bury him alive”.

Throughout these almost four years, Ferrer suffered all kinds of attacks in prison and, on different occasions, he made hunger strikes so that they listen to their complaints. Since his arrest, was confined in a punishment celltechnologically prepared for your isolation.

His wife reported to this media on different occasions that the opponent did not have regular access to sunlight and lived in deplorable conditions: “Small cell, isolated from the penal community and with very limited access to the outside world,” he described in one of the dialogues with Infobae.

Besides, was a victim of physical and psychological violence; and he received precarious food, based on non-perishable food that his family managed to bring him, along with water that was barely enough for him to survive.

In these 1,285 days behind barsFerrer’s health has deteriorated as he never received adequate medical care. According to Nelva Ismaray Ortega Tamayowife of the opponent, He suffered a tear in the triceps of his right armwhich caused him constant pain and difficulty writing. The deterioration was confirmed at the time by Monsignor Dionisio García, who managed to visit him last September and reported his worrying condition.

Last December, he started a hunger strike in protest of the “constant physical and psychological torture, as well as the inhumane conditions” to which he was subjected in the prison of Green Seawhere he was held. Then, Infobae accessed an audio from Ferrer himself, who, in conversation with his wife, narrated the critical situation that he had to go through and confirmed that he would continue without eating food until his complaints were heard: “I’d rather die than give up”, he came to point out.

He also described the deplorable conditions of his dungeonshared with six other prisoners in an inadequate space and with serious hygiene problems. The situation was critical, with fly pests and bed bugs that aggravated the already precarious quality of life in prison. Despite this, The leader of the Patriotic Union maintained his firmness in the hunger strikedemanding improvements and the attention that all political prisoners on the island deserve.

“The main situation we have, and that is why my insistence that the detergent must pass… because hygiene is terribleThere are flies on top, a plague of flies that won’t leave you alone during the daywhen the light is on – it is on all the time -, and at night the bedbugs are in abundance too, which also implies fumigating or doing something… And, as for that, they do absolutely nothing”, he remarked in December.

Then he said that it didn’t feel goodbut he assured that he was going to resist. “I’m running out of time. I leave you with a very strong hug and repeating that I don’t feel well, but I am going to resist and continue the strike until this situation that they have created against me is resolved.. And my solidarity and my support to all political prisoners who are going through similar situations throughout the country. And my condolences to the family of Manuel de Jesus”.

In the midst of everything that was happening to him on a personal level, he remembered the political prisoner Manuel de Jesús Guillén Esplugas, who died at the end of November in the Combinado del Este. He had participated in the massive demonstrations of the July 11, 2021.

The youngest son of the opponent, Daniel Josephsuffered serious emotional repercussions for the absence of his father all this time. His mother recounted how sadness and frustration have affected both his school performance and his health. “He started wetting the bed again after the last visit in September“, Ortega Tamayo told this medium last October.

One of the most traumatic experiences for the child occurred on December 9, 2022 when He witnessed his father being brutally beaten. inside the prison. “While he was handcuffed, they beat him in front of our son. Major Julio Fonseca, known for his violence against opposition women, was one of the aggressors,” Ferrer’s wife denounced.

During these almost four years, the family also maintained that the letters between Ferrer and those close to him were withheld or used as a method of manipulation. “They gave us a letter in which he stated that he had not received our previous letters.. If I didn’t receive a response, I would start a hunger strike“said his wife, who described the constant blackmail to which the then prisoner was subjected.

Despite these conditions, Ferrer has always maintained a firm stance of resistance. “The Castro-Canel dictatorship has insisted throughout this time on burying him alive and killing him slowly with the aim of making him accept exile.”declared his wife. However, Ferrer reaffirmed that “He preferred to die in prison rather than leave his homeland.”.

Jose Daniel Ferrer54 years old, He has spent more than a decade imprisonedbut he never agreed to leave his country, even in the face of numerous offers of exile presented by the authorities of the Cuban regime.

The opponent began his life as an activist in the Christian Liberation Movementdirected by Oswaldo Paya. In 2003, Ferrer was coordinating the movement’s activity in the eastern region of Cuba, and became one of the key drivers of the movement. Varela Projectan initiative that managed to collect more than 25,000 signatures calling for democratic reforms such as freedom of the press and assembly, as well as multi-party elections.

That year, during the Black Spring, Ferrer was arrested and sentenced to 25 years in prison along with 74 other opponents.. In 2011, after a negotiation between the Cuban dictatorship and the Catholic Church, he was released, but unlike other prisoners in the group, Ferrer refused to emigratereaffirming his commitment to the fight from within the country.

In his career, he not only focused on the political opposition, but also on the social support for the most vulnerable communities. As leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba, an organization he founded in 2011 after leaving prison, he has organized food and medicine delivery programs to families in needin addition to launching civic initiatives such as the so-called “Sunflower Revolution”, a series of peaceful protests to express rejection of the regime.

“Without a firm fight, without increasing pressure from everyone, there will be no freedom or well-being” Ferrer stated in 2020, reflecting his non-violent and persistent approach.

His determination and commitment to a nonviolent struggle remain a symbol of resistance for many inside and outside Cuba. While the opposition to the regime faces significant challenges, the figure of Ferrer stands out as a reminder of the possibility of acting with firmness and conviction in the face of adversity.