Lázaro Yuri Valle Roca Speaks Out After Forced Exile to the U.S.: "They Have So Much Hatred Against Me"

The now former Cuban political prisoner Lázaro Yuri Valle Roca addressed the media at Miami Airport on Wednesday, revealing the harsh conditions he endured in prison and his determination to survive despite the ordeal. “They’ve subjected me to a lot of torture,” Valle Roca said, apologizing to reporters for his state of confusion after being released from the Combinado del Este, Cuba’s largest prison. “They have so much hatred against me,” added the independent journalist who spent three years behind bars.

Valle Roca explained that the animosity towards him is intensified by his background. As the nephew of the late opposition leader Vladimiro Roca and the grandson of communist leader Blas Roca Calderío, he believes the regime's persecution stems partly from what he and his family represent. Valle Roca confirmed that his exile was forced and made it clear that he would not survive if he returned to the island.

Last Monday, Valle Roca was transferred from Combinado del Este to the Penal Ward of the National Hospital under "maximum security" measures. He recounted feeling treated like “a dangerous terrorist” at the hospital. At 4 a.m. on Wednesday, State Security agents took him to José Martí International Airport, where his wife awaited with clothes for him to change into before the journey.

“Right now, Cuba’s biggest enemy is its own government,” Valle Roca asserted, emphasizing the deep-rooted corruption among high-ranking officials. He vividly described being detained in June 2021 and taken to Villa Marista, where he went on a five-day hunger strike. “My kidneys nearly failed, my blood pressure skyrocketed, and it was the public protests on July 11 and 12 that kept me alive,” he recounted.

Despite surviving, Valle Roca’s physical condition has significantly deteriorated over the past three years, dropping from 80 kilograms to 53. He obtained humanitarian parole through his wife’s efforts at the U.S. Embassy in Havana, a condition imposed by the Cuban government for his release in exchange for exile.

Valle Roca was arrested on June 15, 2021, after filming activists throwing leaflets with José Martí quotes from a rooftop in Havana, calling for the release of political prisoners, free elections, and democracy in Cuba. In August 2022, he was sentenced to five years in prison for continuous enemy propaganda. Now, three years post-arrest, he is focused on medical recovery.

Eralidis Frómeta, Valle Roca’s wife, also spoke to reporters about the various health issues he faces, including visual impairment, kidney stones, aortic vein sclerosis, and a deviated septum from beatings. She expressed gratitude to those who supported them through this ordeal. “I want to thank everyone, all the NGOs, attorney Teresa Ortiz, Cuba Demanda, and all the human rights activists who made it possible for us to not give up in Cuba,” Frómeta said.

“If we hadn’t accepted the humanitarian parole, he would have died in prison. They would have let him perish,” she concluded. Valle Roca has a long road ahead to recover from the physical and mental damage inflicted during his imprisonment. The couple plans to live in Philadelphia with their family.

Lázaro Yuri Roca, a communicator for the digital platform Delibera, has endured severe physical and psychological abuse over these years, deteriorating his health. Last October, the NGO Cubalex reported that he was beaten by guards at Combinado del Este. His wife found him extremely weak during a visit, akin to someone with a terminal illness.

“They are letting him die; his situation is critical to the point of potentially fatal consequences,” she said. In September, Valle Roca was given a four-day pass to visit home, during which he denounced the lack of medical care and his deteriorating health. “I’m deaf, I have memory loss, I’m losing my vision, I’m skinny,” the journalist noted.

In recent hours, a call has been made to human rights organizations and the Cuban exile community to support Valle Roca and ensure he receives the necessary medical attention to recover his health. He also requested help to reunite his daughter and grandchildren, who remain in Cuba, with him in Miami.