Jorge Cervantes Garcia
Cuban political prisoner Jorge Cervantes Garcia, on hunger strike since May 29 to demand his freedom, ended his protest late Sunday. In return, Cervantes will be allowed to leave Cuba once he has recovered from the physical effects of his protest, according to the Christian Liberation Movement.
Cervantes started his hunger strike soon after authorities arrested him and revoked his parole for an earlier imprisonment. Supporters said he was arrested because he had put up anti-Castro placards in public places.
Earlier this month, Cervantes was transferred from a punishment cell to a hospital in Santiago de Cuba.
He ended his protest by drinking some lemonade, although he didn't feel up to the soup that was offered him, according to Regis Iglesias, a former Cuban prisoner of conscience who filed from Spain the report posted on the MCL website.
It is unfortunate that Cervantes, and presumably his wife and children, will have to leave Cuba. He had refused exile in March after his brother Agustin was released from prison as part of an arrangement between the Catholic Church, Spain and the Castro dictatorship. The regime will be able to rid itself of another opponent.
But any disappointment is outweighed by the fact that Cervantes' life has been save.
He took on the Castro dictatorship with the only weapon at his disposal in a fight for justice -- his life.
And he won.
Recent Comments