Exile Departure of José Daniel Ferrer from Santiago de Cuba

A video circulating on social media captures the moment when Cuban dissident José Daniel Ferrer García, head of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), boarded an American Airlines flight taking him into exile from Santiago de Cuba's Antonio Maceo Airport. The footage, shared on platforms like Facebook and X, depicts Ferrer surrounded by officials, alleged State Security agents, and airport staff, all under tight security measures.

Filmed from a vantage point near the runway, the video shows the opposition leader's boarding process alongside part of the flight crew, while airport personnel maintain vigilance over the scene. Many users speculate that the State Security might have leaked the video to portray Ferrer's departure as free of handcuffs or coercion, in an attempt to sanitize the forced exile of the opposition leader.

In reality, the regime expelled Ferrer from the country following over four years of imprisonment and torture, a process his family described as "forced exile." Journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada reported on Facebook about a significant police presence in Santiago de Cuba, stretching from the roundabout leading to the airport to the terminal itself. "They're asking for ID cards and passports from anyone attempting to approach. Only residents proving they live in the area are allowed through," he wrote, highlighting the tension surrounding Ferrer and his family's departure.

According to another video shared by Mayeta Labrada, a State Security minibus, identified in a separate video with the license plate P 245 145, reportedly transported the dissident's family from their home in Santiago's Altamira neighborhood to the airport. Neighbors confirmed that his wife and young children traveled, accompanied by U.S. consular staff.

During a press conference held upon his arrival in Miami, Ferrer recounted that he hadn't seen his family until boarding the plane and feared being sent off without them. His wife described the waiting hours at Santiago de Cuba airport as "endless," filled with delays and tension, until they were finally reunited on the aircraft's stairway. Ferrer added that the officers escorting him from prison to the airport were "surprisingly courteous," ironically noting that these were the same individuals who had previously beaten and tortured him. "I even joked with them, saying I would appoint them as Interior Ministers because they seemed like entirely different people," he remarked.

Although the regime claims Ferrer "voluntarily accepted" to leave the country, various sources indicate he will not be permitted to return. This operation closed one of the harshest chapters of political repression in Cuba and signaled the beginning of a new phase of struggle from exile for the UNPACU leader.