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On Wednesday, June 9, the Global Liberty Alliance applied for Precautionary Measures on behalf of Cuban political prisoner and UNPACU member Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez García.
In March 2021, Mr. Rodríguez García was placed in a punishment cell in Pinar del Río’s Kilo 5 Prison after speaking out about the lack of preventative measures in the prison in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sometime in April, Mr. Rodríguez García was taken to a hospital, then a prison medical post, after suffering from severe breathing problems. His family has been unable to speak with him directly for months, and has heard nothing about his condition for about a month.
Mr. Rodríguez García has denounced violations committed by prison officials throughout his prison sentence, and every instance has landed him in a punishment cell, where he is psychologically tortured, physically beaten, and threatened that his family will be harmed. Rodríguez García, who suffers from asthma, has been denied medical assistance every time he has requested it. In light of the increasingly brutal and inhuman treatment, there is eminent danger to his life, as he remains confined in the provincial prison in Pinar del Río. In 2019, out of concern for the political prisoner’s health and safety after reports of abuse, the U.S. State Department’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Julie Chung issued a tweet calling on the government of Cuba to release all political prisoners and respect fundamental freedoms of Cuban citizens.
Mr. Rodríguez García, who has served over half of his 8-year sentence for alleged crimes of attack, contempt, and defamation, has gone through three prisons in the Province of Pinar del Río. Read the Cover Letter submitted to the OAS below. Comments are closed.
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