Darsi Ferrer
Cuban human rights activist Darsi Ferrer has started a hunger strike to protest his arrest Tuesday, according to a Radio Martí report.
Ferrer, a frequent target for the Castro dictatorship, was detained Tuesday after he and his wife responded to order to appear at a Havana police station. Why exactly they were summoned wasn't clear, but an earlier report suggested Ferrer had gotten in trouble for illegally buying construction materials to repair his home.
That may be a "common" — that is, non-political — crime, but Ferrer refuses to be treated as a "common," criminal, which is why has started a hunger strike. Yusnaimi Jorge Soca said guards at the Valle Grande prison outside Havana have threatened to beat her husband, because of he refused to line up with common criminals held at the jail.
Yusnaimi, who was released after briefly held in custody with Ferrer, said no one has revealed to her or her husband why he is being held.
Ferrer had been arrested and detained earlier this month, a day before a planned demonstration along the Malecon in Havana. Ferrer said that several police officers beat him during his detention, and when he and his wife returned home they found their house had been ransacked and damaged.
For more details, read Human Rights Cuba's report in English.
Read my 2006 interview with Ferrer, here.
Recent Comments