Darsi Ferrer
Cuban political prisoner Dr. Darsi Ferrer, one of my personal heroes in the struggle for freedom on the island, has scored a big victory against the Castro regime.
Ferrer, a physician, journalist and human rights activist in jail since last July, on Monday ended a hunger strike he started March 20, after officials said they would meet his demands, according various media reports.
Prison officials told Ferrer, 40, that he would receive medical treatment needed for a mouth infection.
Also, prosecutors assured Ferrer that he soon would get a hearing on his case, which has been stalled in the Cuban court system since his arrest.
No formal charges have been filed, but Ferrer reportedly was arrested for buying a couple of bags of cement so he could make repairs to his residence, which was damaged during a prior police raid.
Opposition activists, however, have said they believe Ferrer was arrested because of his anti-government activism, including the organizing of human rights demonstrations. His arrest may have squashed his activities, but it also further elevated the status of a man I consider a giant of the opposition.
|———|
I understand the desperation Ferrer and other hunger strikers must feel when they decide to start such a protest. They are fighting back with their lives, the only weapon they have.
However, the irrationality of it all is amplified when considering that such a protest is aimed at an audience, at a regime, in no mood to negotiate, and might well be relieved if a hunger strike ends with the protester's death. In fact, just last week, officials had tossed Ferrer into an isolation cell at the Valle Grande prison.
That the dictatorship acceded to Ferrer's demands was the result of Ferrer's persistence, a judgment by the regime his demands could be met at political or public relations costs or a miracle — or some combination of the three.
Whatever it was, it was a win for freedom, and for one of Cuba's grandest freedom fighters.
I would never trust anything a Castro dictatorship official tells me, and I cannot help but think that Ferrer is at least a bit skeptical about the assurances he was given.
But it was enough for him to end his hunger strike, which is good news for him and his family, and good news for freedom in Cuba.
Recent Comments