Two Cuban political prisoners at El Guyabo prison on the Isle of Youth Isle of Pines have started hunger strikes, according to a report from independent journalist Magaly Norvis Otero Suárez.
They are:
- Fabio Prieto Llorente, an independent journalist serving a 20-year sentence handed down during the "black spring" of 2003.
- Fidel Francisco Rangel Sanchez, who is serving a 25-year sentence for the attempted hijacking of an airplane in 2003.
Otero's report did not detail why Prieto had started a hunger strike, but it appears it coincided with a decision by his jailers to again throw him in a punishment cell. His sister, Clara Lourdes Prieto Llorente, said Prieto should not quit eating because he suffers from various ailments — hypertension, emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a hernia, chronic duodenitis, allergies and hemorrhoids — brought on by and/or aggravated by his seven years in prison.
"He almost has never walked during the seven years because he has been in isolation cells," Clara said. "He told me during his last phone call that he would be starting a hunger strike."
Rangel, who earlier this year was burned during an attack by an other inmate, started his protest after guards confiscated some of his belongings during an inspection of his cell, according to Otero's report.
Otero said a third prisoner has reportedly started a hunger strike, but she has not been able to confirm the information.
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For more news about Cuba, Cuban political prisoners and the struggle for freedom on the island, follow me on Twitter at @marcmasferrer
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