Cuban dissident José Daniel Ferrer has recently arrived in Miami after his release from a Cuban prison. Upon landing in the United States, he called for the release of hundreds of political prisoners currently held in Cuba. Ferrer, aged 55, made the decision to seek exile after being informed that his wife might face imprisonment and their son could be sent to a juvenile institution.
The Cuban foreign ministry stated that Ferrer and his family left the country following a “formal request” from the U.S. government and claimed that he had given his “explicit acceptance” to this arrangement. As the coordinator of the Patriotic Union of Cuba, a coalition of dissident organizations, Ferrer has been a prominent critic of the Communist government, which prohibits political opposition.
Ferrer’s history includes multiple incarcerations. He was briefly released in January due to negotiations involving the Vatican, which led to then U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. However, he was re-arrested three months later for allegedly violating the terms of his parole, despite continuing to voice his opposition to the government. Following this re-arrest, Ferrer claimed to have endured severe mistreatment, including humiliation and torture while in custody.
Some fellow dissidents have characterized Ferrer’s departure from Cuba as “forced exile.” U.S. Senator Marco Rubio commented that Ferrer’s activism posed a threat to the Cuban regime, which had repeatedly imprisoned and tortured him. He expressed relief that Ferrer is free and called on the international community to hold the Cuban government accountable for its alleged human rights abuses while advocating for the release of over 700 political prisoners in Cuba.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clykwd9e256o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss