U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Honors Cuban Political Prisoner: "I Salute the Brave"

The U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Christopher Landau, has publicly paid tribute to young Cuban political prisoner Duannis Dabel León Taboada and his mother, Jenni Taboada, for their courage in the face of the Cuban regime's oppression. "I salute brave Cubans like Duannis and Jenni who risk everything to speak out for human rights in their country," the diplomat stated on his official X account, following his participation on July 8 in a virtual meeting with Cuban citizens held at the U.S. Embassy in Havana.

During this meeting, which included Jenni Taboada, Landau, who previously served as a U.S. ambassador to Mexico, listened to the heart-wrenching testimony of this Cuban mother. Her son is detained at the Combinado del Este prison, serving a 14-year sentence for his involvement in the peaceful protests of July 11, 2021.

Duannis, only 24 years old, was apprehended on allegations of damaging a police vehicle during the demonstrations. Initially, prosecutors sought a 21-year sentence for sedition, which was later reduced to 14 years upon appeal. Despite this, his family maintains his innocence and decries the inhumane conditions of his detention.

Shortly after the meeting with Landau, Duannis was removed from his cell and subjected to seven interrogations in a single day. In protest, he commenced a hunger strike. Jenni, in despair, was barred from seeing him or obtaining clear information about his condition. "They hold him hostage," she lamented in tearful audio messages that circulated on social media and news outlets.

Organizations such as the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH) and the group Las Taniadas warned of the grave danger to the young man's life, given his pre-existing medical conditions. Jenni staged a protest outside the prison, demanding to see her son and pleading for a chance to save him. For days, her pleas went unanswered.

"My boy is good. They won't let me do anything. I just want to see him," the mother expressed. The case rallied activists, exiles, and media, transforming her voice into a symbol of the pain and resilience experienced by many Cuban families.

After 12 days of fasting and in a critical state, Duannis was finally visited by his mother, leading him to end his hunger strike. The reunion was a deeply emotional moment, as she recounted. The young man told her that "something had taken over him, and he could last 20 more days without eating," Jenni shared. "But we managed to persuade him to prioritize his life while still demanding justice."

Landau's gesture of recognition comes at a pivotal time as the world's attention is once again drawn to the repression in Cuba and the lingering scars of the events on July 11, the wounds of which remain unhealed. Duannis, once just another young man on the streets of the Diez de Octubre municipality on that fateful day, has become a symbol of a generation determined to break the silence with hope and courage. And his mother, embodying pure resistance, has turned her anguish into a rallying cry.

"Thank you all for your solidarity, love, and support. This struggle belongs to all of us, and we are learning that," Jenni expressed after leaving the visit.