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Political Prisoner Starts Hunger Strike After Learning He Won't Be Released Despite Serving His Sentence

Tuesday, June 3, 2025 by Oscar Fernandez

Political Prisoner Starts Hunger Strike After Learning He Won't Be Released Despite Serving His Sentence
Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez García - Image © Collage by X/@BettyFreeCuban and Facebook/Zaqueo Báez

Cuban political prisoner Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez García, confined in Kilo 5 and ½ Prison in Pinar del Río, began a hunger strike on May 28. This protest comes after discovering that the regime is attempting to fabricate new charges against him to prevent his release, even though he has served his sentence. Activist Betty Guerra Perdomo shared this information on the social media platform X, based on news from his mother, Nilda García Fleitas, who visited him on Monday morning.

Manuel is scheduled for release on June 12 after completing a sentence that many sources have labeled as unjust. However, his family and activists allege that the regime is trying to impose additional charges to keep him incarcerated—a common tactic by the Cuban government to silence dissenters and opposition figures.

Years of Abuse and Oppression

Rodríguez García was sentenced in December 2016 for offenses including contempt, assault, sexual outrage, and defamation of institutions, organizations, and national heroes and martyrs. In 2019, CiberCuba reported that he spent weeks in solitary confinement in the same prison, denied sunlight, as denounced by opposition member María Cristina Garrido at that time.

In 2021, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) granted precautionary measures in favor of Rodríguez, recognizing that his situation posed a serious and urgent risk of irreparable harm to his rights. According to IACHR Resolution 78/21, these measures were based on evidence of beatings, threats, and inadequate medical care, although Cuba never responded to the requests for information.

A Call for Visibility

Activist Betty Guerra Perdomo urged the public to share and highlight this denunciation to ensure that Rodríguez García and his family are not isolated in their struggle. The opposition community fears that the Cuban government will use new charges to extend his sentence while the detainee faces harsh conditions and lacks guaranteed access to healthcare.

This case adds to a growing list of human rights violations against dissidents on the island, once again highlighting the lack of legal guarantees and the use of the judicial system to punish dissent.

Understanding the Struggle of Cuban Political Prisoners

Why did Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez García start a hunger strike?

He began a hunger strike after learning that the Cuban regime is attempting to fabricate new charges against him to prevent his release, despite having served his full sentence.

What were the original charges against Rodríguez García?

He was originally sentenced for contempt, assault, sexual outrage, and defamation of institutions and national heroes and martyrs.

What action did the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights take?

The IACHR granted precautionary measures for Rodríguez, determining that his situation involved a serious and urgent risk of irreparable harm to his rights.

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