Ricardo Enrique Silva Gual, Political Prisoner of the Week, 7/22/09 (UPDATED)

Ricardo Silva Gual UPDATED, July 22, 2010 — Ricardo Silva was released from prison in July 2010 under a deal between Spain, the Catholic Church and the Castro dictatorship.

Dr. Ricardo Silva Gual, 34, is one of six Cuban health professionals who were imprisoned during the "black spring," of March-April 2003, who still are in jail.

In a 2003 report,Amnesty International told a little bit of his story:

Ricardo Silva Gual is a medical doctor and a member of the Movimiento Cristiano Liberación, Christian Liberation Movement. He has reportedly suffered a number of forms of harassment related to his activities.

Ricardo Silva was detained on 18 March 2003 and was reportedly sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment under articles 4.1 and 6.1 of Law 88. He is currently being held in the Guantánamo provincial prison.

Via e-mail, the Coalition of Cuban-American Women offers more about Dr. Silva:

Dr. Silva carried out a hunger strike from January 13-February 5, 2005, in the maximum-security prison of Boniato to protest the cruel treatment he was being subjected to by prison authorities and by dangerous convicts who were being encouraged by prison guards to harass him. There, he received a savage beating by Sergeant Arrastre. He was eventually transferred to the Prison of Aguadores in Santiago de Cuba where he feels he has achieved his demands which are: not wear the common prisoner's uniform, not salute or acknowledge the military personnel or accept the penal system's reeducation program which includes compulsory participation in political marches. According to Dr. Silva, he will continue with his demands until he is a free man. Dr. Silva is married and has a young child. His father has been hospitalized twice, affected by his son'sincarceration.

Physicians for Human Rights reports that Silva has been diagnosed with glaucoma, and is having problems with his eyesight.

The other health professionals mentioned by Amnesty International are: Oscar Elías Biscet González, Marcelo Cano Rodríguez, Orlando Fundora Alvarez, Luis Milán Fernández and José Luis García Paneque.

No word yet whether Michael Moore gives a damn.

One of the surest indicators of the repressive nature of the Castro regime is the jailing of more than 300 political prisoners. To illustrate that reality, Uncommon Sense each week profiles one prisoner. There also is a Political Prisoner archive on the left sidebar. To suggest a prisoner for a profile, send me an e-mail.

For profiles of imprisoned Cuban journalists and related information, read the March 18 Project.