A Cuban political prisoner's cries of protest are never louder then when in an act of a desperation most cannot fathom, he sews his mouth shut. Not figuratively, but literally taking a wire and running it in the top of his mouth and out the bottom, back and forth, up and down, until it is completely closed.
Not all Cuban political prisoners have done this, and for that they should not be judged. But that some do, is testament to the cruelty of their captors and their determination that their screams for justice be heard.
The latest to sew his mouth shut is Abel López Pérez.
Human rights activist/journalist Juan Carlos González Leiva reports that López started his protest Oct. 9 after prison officials told him he would be tried Monday, Oct. 13, on a charge of "attacking."
López, an activist with the Cuban Council of Human Rights Rapporteurs, has been in jail since April when officials revoked his medical parole because of his continued political activism. He had been sentenced in November 2005 to 3 years in prison for "disrespecting" Fidel Castro — as if there is any other way to treat Fidel Castro — but had won an earlier release because of various ailments, including hepatitis B, he had developed in prison.
López's latest protest is not just an indictment of the Castro dictatorship. It also is indicative of the ignorance and indifference too much of the world has about Cuba and its prisoners of conscience. It is probable that the prisoners understand this, which is why some, like López, are willing to sacrifice their bodies so that maybe this time, they will be heard.
A wire may prevent López from speaking at his trial on Monday.
But will anyone in the world actually be listening?
Read more about López, a former Political Prisoner of the Week, here.
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