As the fifth anniversary of the July 11, 2021 protests approaches, Mike Hammer, head of the U.S. Embassy Mission in Cuba, visited several homes in Havana on Friday. His aim was to hear firsthand the stories of parents who have been waiting five years for the return of their children, incarcerated following the historic social uprising.
The day was filled with scenes of grief and resilience in each household visited. Families used this opportunity to not only highlight the severity of the sentences but also to denounce the ongoing harassment they claim to face, including arbitrary summons, blackmail, job discrimination, and torture.
One of the initial visits was with Wilber Aguilar, the father of Walnier Luis Aguilar Rivera. Walnier, a young man with an intellectual disability, received a 12-year prison sentence for sedition after participating in the La Güinera protests in the Arroyo Naranjo district of Havana.
"I wake up at three or four in the morning and see Walnier's mother sitting there, crying for her son, the youngest in the house whom we raised with love and respect. They took him from us," expressed Aguilar, visibly emotional.
The father emphasized that his son merely exercised his right to protest: "All he did was join a demonstration and demand freedom and a dignified life. Not even death will stop us from fighting for Walnier."
Testimonies of Pain and Determination
Hammer also met with Daymi Albornoz Rodríguez, the mother of Yoanky Báez Albornoz, who was sentenced to 14 years for sedition after joining the protests at the Esquina de Toyo in the Diez de Octubre municipality.
"My son is imprisoned for speaking the truth. We have no freedom of expression here, and young people are not allowed to voice their thoughts," lamented the mother, who also spoke about the loneliness she experiences since her son's arrest.
The tour continued to the home of Carlos Martín, father of Dayron Martín Rodríguez. Dayron received a 30-year sentence—later reduced to 22 on appeal—for recording the La Güinera protests with his cell phone. His family claims he suffers from schizophrenia and does not receive proper medical care at the Combinado del Este prison.
"He spent a day at the Capri police station, seven days at Cien y Aldabó, and then was transferred to Combinado del Este. He hasn't been out since. At the trial, they sentenced him to 30 years," his father recalled.
Enduring the Unjust Imprisonment
The final visit was with Jenny Taboada, whose son Duannis León Taboada is serving a 14-year sentence for sedition. She described these years as a period of relentless suffering that extends beyond her son's imprisonment.
"These have been 14 years of sentencing for a young man with no criminal history. It's prolonged suffering, involving torture, summons, blackmail, and marginalization, because we can't even work," she denounced.
When asked what keeps her going, her response was unequivocal: "Hope, a mother's love for her son, and the support of so many people like you."
This visit is part of Hammer's extensive agenda of people-to-people diplomacy he has pursued since arriving in Havana in November 2024. It includes meetings with former political prisoners and visits to various sectors of Cuban civil society.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, the U.S. Embassy in Cuba released a statement demanding the immediate release of all political prisoners, specifically mentioning Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, whose five-year sentence expired on July 9 but remains unaccounted for under the regime's control.
"Five long years have passed, and we continue to insist on the release of all those unjustly imprisoned simply for exercising their fundamental right to express themselves, as they did on July 11, 2021," the diplomatic mission asserted.
On the anniversary of the social outbreak, the organization Justice 11J reports that 338 individuals are directly linked to the 2021 protests, among a total of 1,281 political prisoners documented by Prisoners Defenders in Cuba.
Understanding the Impact of the 11J Protests
What were the 11J protests about?
The 11J protests were a series of demonstrations in Cuba on July 11, 2021, where citizens demanded greater freedoms, improved living conditions, and an end to the socialist regime's oppressive policies.
How has the Cuban government responded to these protests?
The Cuban government responded to the protests with severe crackdowns, arresting hundreds of demonstrators and sentencing many to lengthy prison terms under charges like sedition.
Who is Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara?
Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara is a well-known Cuban artist and activist who has been a vocal critic of the Cuban government. He was sentenced to five years in prison, which ended on July 9, but he remains under the regime's control.