Cuban Government Demands Political Prisoner's Family Purchase Ticket to Guyana for Release

The relatives of Cuban political prisoner Roilán Álvarez Rensoler have reported that State Security is making his release contingent upon the purchase of a plane ticket to Guyana. This requirement has been labeled a "blackmail" by his family, who fear that the authorities may not fulfill their promise even if they comply.

According to Martí Noticias, the 41-year-old activist was returned to the Holguín provincial prison last Friday after ending a 20-day hunger strike. This was his second hunger strike since being detained on January 30 in the Mella municipality of Santiago de Cuba.

His sister, Ariadna Álvarez Rensoler, revealed that the political police officer overseeing the case, known only as "Ernesto," insists that the family present proof of the purchased ticket before Álvarez Rensoler can be transported to the airport for release.

The family is reluctant to agree to this condition, fearing they might waste their money if the authorities ultimately decide not to release Álvarez Rensoler. They also face an immediate challenge: they lack the financial resources to buy the ticket.

Due to these concerns, the family has retained possession of the activist's passport.

Ariadna also reported that officer "Ernesto" has stopped answering their calls, adding to the uncertainty surrounding the political prisoner's future and the terms for his potential departure from Cuba.

Álvarez Rensoler himself managed to call his family from prison to inform them of his relocation back to the Holguín provincial prison, preventing unnecessary travel to another facility.

The family is particularly worried about his physical condition, which may have deteriorated after 20 days without food. His sister noted that, since ending the hunger strike, the activist "lacks food and basic supplies in the prison where he has been returned."

Álvarez Rensoler is a member of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) and a promoter of the Cuba Decide initiative. Cuban authorities accuse him of spreading propaganda against the constitutional order for anti-government graffiti in Holguín and vandalism of a mural featuring Fidel Castro in Birán.

His incarceration has been marked by hunger strikes, reports of violence, and significant health deterioration.

Background of Álvarez Rensoler's Incarceration

After his arrest in January, Álvarez Rensoler staged an initial hunger strike lasting over 48 days, during which he suffered a cardiopulmonary arrest. This critical condition necessitated hospitalization at the Amelia Simoni Hospital in Holguín.

The severity of his case prompted the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to grant precautionary measures in March through Resolution 19/26.

In July, the situation worsened. On the 18th, prison guards reportedly beat him severely after he refused to wear the prison uniform, leading to fractures in his arms and head injuries, as reported by activists and family members. Shortly after, Cubalex reported that he was moved to a punishment cell, where he began his second hunger strike. This hunger strike concluded after 20 days.

The family's allegations about being forced to buy a ticket for his release echo past instances where Cuban political opponents and prisoners have claimed they were pressured by State Security to leave the country.

In 2019, Prisoners Defenders and Reuters documented activist claims of coercion to exit Cuba, sometimes with Guyana as their destination. Earlier, between 2010 and 2011, many prisoners from the Black Spring of 2003 were released and sent to Spain with their families.

Meanwhile, Álvarez Rensoler's family waits for a definitive response regarding his release but refuses to buy a ticket without assurances that the regime will honor its promise and allow the activist to leave prison.