Earlier today, daughter of Loreto Hernandez Garcia, Vice President of the Free Yorubas of Cuba, demanded medical treatment for her father who remains in police custody in Santa Clara, Cuba. Mr. Hernandez’s brother, and former political prisoner Jorge Luis García Pérez (“Antúñez”) also called on international organizations to raise awareness and support for his brother’s case.
Loreto Hernandez Garcia has been held in police custody since July 15, and is in critical condition after suffering pre-infarction while in police custody earlier this month.
Yesterday, Uruguay’s Ministry of Social Development (MIDES) announced it would not be renewing the contract it has with the Cuban government for work through Uruguay’s National Center for Technical and Technological Aid (CENATT).
The Global Liberty Alliance (GLA), which has spent close to two years has used various legal tools, including freedom of information laws and human rights litigation, to hold to account officials who authorized the Cuban Medical Brigade programs in Uruguay and other nations. GLA issued the following press release in response to yesterday’s important events.
On August 7, Florida school teacher and US citizen Alina López Miyares celebrated her fifth consecutive birthday as a prisoner in Cuba. A few days later, her 94-year-old mother, also named Alina, recorded a message for U.S. policymakers and representatives pleading for support in securing her daughter’s release.
On August 11, 2021, spokesperson for the Association of Free Yorubas of Cuba, Ms. Yaimara Reyes Soler, recorded the following message of support for fellow members Donaida Perez Paseiro, Loreto Hernandez Garcia, and twin sisters Lisdiany and Lisdany Rodriguez Isak (aka Lisdiani & Lisdani Rodriguez Isaac), all of which are currently imprisoned in Santa Clara, Cuba following nation-wide protests on July 11.
CASE UPDATE: Appeal Denied for Political Prisoner & Human Rights Activist Virgilio Mantilla Arango8/11/2021
Sentenced to 9 Months for Alleged Contempt as His Health Deteriorates. On Tuesday, August 10, Mr. Virgilio Mantilla Arango appeared before the Florida municipality court in Camagüey, Cuba to appeal fabricated charges of contempt following the July 11 protests. An appeal was filed by Mr. Mantilla, who was forced to use a state lawyer shortly after charges were announced. As private law practice is not permitted in Cuba, Mr. Mantilla was not allowed to contract with a non-state attorney. Lawyers who do not work in the Communist Party-controlled national law firm system are prohibited from defending clients in Cuban courts.
On July 21, 2021, independent journalist and UNPACU member Mr. Fernando Vázquez Guerra was released from Kilo-7 prison in Camagüey, Cuba.
Mr. Vázquez was out on parole in 2016 after serving time related to his political activism. In 2017, while on probation, he was re-arrested and re-detained on fabricated crimes of unpaid fines, and sentenced to an additional 3 years.
Last month, several members of the Association of Free Yorubas of Cuba were detained and now face charges related to participation in peaceful protests that broke out in provinces across the island on July 11.
The Free Yorubas charged, including members Loreto Hernandez Garcia, Donaida Perez Paseiro, and Elizabeth Cintra Garcia, are currently being held in provisional prisons or under house arrest as a precautionary measure until a trial is held. On July 30, 2021, the People’s Provincial Court of Santiago de Cuba denied a Habeas Corpus petition filed on behalf of evangelical Pastor Lorenzo Rosales Fajardo, who has been unjustly held incommunicado for over 4 weeks after having peacefully protested July 11.
UNPACU member and former political prisoner Yoendri Luna Caballero was detained Sunday, July 25, by Cuban State police. This is the third time he has been detained since the July 11 protests. He remains in police custody in Siboney, Santiago de Cuba.
On July 26, GLA counsel in Uruguay filed a criminal complaint with the Attorney General’s office regarding Uruguay’s continued exploitation of forced labor via Cuban medical brigades.
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