J.C. Herrera Acosta: 'I do not feel well, but I will not surrender'

Juan Carlos Herrera Acosta is dying. His hunger strike, and the cruel indifference of his captors is taking a heavy toll on his body.

But his spirit is only stronger. He is not giving up in his fight against tyranny, and for liberty for himself and his fellow Cubans. He says so, in a note to another prisoner, Alfredo Dominguez Batista, who also is on hunger strike at the Holguín Provincial Prison.

Here is my translation of that note; my apologies for any errors:

Brother Alfredo:

Greetings. I am telling you that I am very sick with dizziness,cervical osteoarthritis, sacrolumbalgia, weight loss, palpitations. My blood pressure is very low.

The medical personnel and State Security are in a conspiracy. They want me to die, and I accept the challenge.

I do not feel well, but I will not surrender. I have bad pain from gastritis. They do not inject me with painkillers, as a method of torture so that I will abandon my hunger strike. This is psychological torture. On the night of the 28th (of July) I almost fainted because of low blood pressure.

The world must know that I take my attitude to the end.

Hopefully, the world will soon abandon its attitude of ignorance and indifference and stand with this brave men and others suffering in the Castro gulag.