Mexico City/The group Justicia 11J reported this Wednesday that 554 Cubans are still in prison for participating in protests against the government in July 2021, the largest in decades on the Island.
In your annual report Another year without justicepresented this Wednesday afternoon, the NGO warned that “the repression of the Island, by state agencies, is systematic and structured” and emphasized that “the brutal context of Cuba has become more complex.”
Likewise, Justicia 11J confirmed that the 554 activists who live in Cuban prisons represent 35% of the 1,580 people detained since the protests on July 11, 2021 (11J). The prison sentence is up to 20 years.
Likewise, the group pointed out in the document that 93% of the 554 people who were sent to prison are men.
In addition, 12 are between 20 and 21 years old – they were arrested when they were 17 and 18 years old; 383 are between 22 and 45 years old; 92 between 46 and 59; and 13 are 60 or older.
Justice 11J recorded that there were a total of 173 protests in Cuba between July 2023 and July 2024. Within that period, “at least 35 people” were detained, with “27 of them still in custody .”
Justicia 11 J criticized that the “Cuba State” has “continued to manipulate the dialogue with international actors, to give a false image of commitment to civil society and citizens.”
In this regard, during the online presentation of the report, Camila Rodríguez, founder and director of the group, said that the protests on the Island “will continue to happen”, so “there is no turning back back.”
In that sense, Johanna Cilano, Amnesty International (AI) researcher for the Caribbean, regretted that “there is no civil space and freedom of association” in the country. Also, he reiterated AI’s concern about the issue of the opponent Jose Daniel Ferrerin prison from 2021.
Last week, relatives, human rights NGOs and Cuban dissident groups reported that Ferrer, who was considered a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International, was hospitalized after suffering a “brutal beating ” received by the staff of the prison where he was held.
The Cuban Government has not reported on the case, and neither has its official media. An official minority media outlet assured that the reports of the beating were “baseless” and that Ferrer was in a “favorable” condition.
In its annual report, Justicia 11J criticized that the “Cuba State” has “continued to manipulate communications with international actors, to give a false image of commitment to civil society and citizens.” “His interaction with representatives of the UN and the EU shows that he is willing to officially maintain diplomatic relations, while at the same time avoiding his duties. ”
