7 months ago
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Cuban dissident Jose Daniel Ferrer was freed from situation Monday (October 13, 2025) and enactment connected a level to the United States wherever helium volition unrecorded successful exile with his family, officials and relatives said.
Mr. Ferrer, who has been imprisoned aggregate times arsenic the semipermanent person of the island's pro-democracy movement, announced this period helium had opted for exile aft enduring "torture" and "humiliation" down bars.
In a missive from prison, the 55-year-old said that since helium was reimprisoned successful April aft being concisely freed nether a woody with erstwhile U.S. President Joe Biden, "the cruelty of the dictatorship towards maine has known nary bounds."
He cited "blows, torture, humiliation, threats and utmost conditions" successful prison, including "the theft of nutrient and hygiene products."
Mr. Ferrer said helium took the hard determination to permission fixed threats that his woman would besides beryllium imprisoned and his young lad sent to an instauration for juvenile offenders.
The Foreign Ministry successful Havana said successful a connection Mr.Ferrer and members of his household near the state for the United States Monday pursuing "a ceremonial petition from that country's authorities and the explicit acceptance" of the dissident.
His sister Ana Belkis Ferrer told AFP by telephone the absorption person had "finally been exiled, convey God," adding his household was "very blessed contempt the hostility of the past days."
'Dignity and honor'
Mr.Ferrer said successful his missive helium would permission Cuba "with my dignity and grant intact, and not for long."
His departure deals a stroke to the absorption question successful Cuba, successful the throes of its worst economical situation successful decades and a wide exodus of young people, chiefly to the United States.
Ferrer, laminitis of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) — 1 of the astir progressive absorption organizations successful the one-party authorities -- had for years resisted unit to spell into exile to debar prison.
He was the astir high-profile of a radical of prisoners released successful January nether a landmark woody struck with Biden successful speech for Washington removing Cuba from a database of coercion sponsors.
But helium was sent backmost to situation successful April aft Biden's successor, Donald Trump, slapped Cuba backmost connected the list.
Ferrer has been successful and retired of situation since March 2003, erstwhile helium and 74 different absorption members were arrested successful a three-day play of repression known arsenic Cuba's "Black Spring."
He was released successful 2011 but sent backmost to situation successful 2021 pursuing a crackdown connected uncommon anti-government thoroughfare protests that rattled the communist authorities.
The repression that followed silenced galore captious voices and near the absorption successful disarray.
During his little spell of state this year, Mr.Ferrer had defied the authorities by criticizing Cuba's enactment connected societal media.
He besides met the caput of the U.S. diplomatic ngo successful Cuba, Mike Hammer, astatine his location successful the eastbound metropolis of Santiago de Cuba.
In his letter, helium said "only the United States... genuinely stands successful solidarity with the peaceful absorption and the Cuban people" — an implicit rebuke of the EU, which has angered dissidents by maintaining a governmental and practice statement with Cuba.
Mr. Ferrer was transferred straight from the situation of Mar Verde successful Cuba's southbound to the planetary airdrome of Santiago de Cuba, wherever helium was met by his woman Nelva Ortega and their lad Daniel Jose, 2 daughters and his ex-wife — each of whom volition question with him to Miami.
