Hunger Strike Ends in Santiago de Cuba
Unpacu, headed by Jose Daniel Ferrer, ends the protest action after the lifting of the police siege on its headquarters
HAVANA TIMES – The leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (Unpacu), Jose Daniel Ferrer, confirmed Saturday the end of the hunger strike he carried out for 21 days together with several activists from the opposition organization. The end of the fast was reported after the lifting of the police siege on their headquarters in Santiago de Cuba.
Through a video posted on Facebook, the former political prisoner explained that if the lifting of the operation around his home was just a hoax by the authorities, the strike would resume.
Ferrer also said that despite having put an end to the strike, he continued to feel in poor health, with vomiting since the morning on Saturday. He required a serum to recover from the long days of fasting.
After 26 days surrounding the Unpacu headquarters, the Police lifted their siege on Friday. The withdrawal of the State Security occurred one day after the Archbishop of Santiago de Cuba, Dionisio Garcia, visited the strikers.
The visit of Garcia to the Unpacu headquarters was made after a growing demand for the Catholic Church to intercede for the strikers to preserve their lives. In recent days, other opponents and exiles supported the idea of Church intervention.
The hunger strike demanded the end of the repressive siege against the headquarters of the dissident group in Santiago de Cuba. It received the support of numerous international organizations and politicians. The European Parliament urged the Cuban government to immediately stop the repression and arbitrary detentions against members of Unpacu.
For almost a month, State Security and the police prevented activists from the opposition organization from delivering food and medicine to needy families. In solidarity with the strikers, dozens of people on and off the island joined the fast.
OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro accused the Cuban regime of applying “State terrorism to those who think differently.” He held it responsible for “the health and well-being” of the Cuban activists on the hunger strike.
“It is time for democracy to return to Cuba,” said Almagro, who stressed that there are already “several generations of Cubans” who have no rights or freedoms due to an “authoritarian” regime.
The usual double standards.
The O.A.S. exists primarily to ensure countries of the region are subservient to the USA.
Their head honcho talks about democracy.
It would seem apparent that the O.A.S. had a hand in trying to subvert democracy in Bolivia only very recently.
Oh jeez. Wonderful cynicism. First do everything possible to strangle the Cuban economy, and then stride in as the heroic saviors, distributing a few crumbs with much fanfare to the same victims of the aggression which you support.
Thanks to the European Union for pressure the Cuban Dictatorship to stop the repression against this organization that provides food and medical attention to the most abandoned ppl in the Cuban society.