Son of Professor Pedro Albert Exposes Dire Conditions of His Father in Prison

Pedro Antonio Albert, son of Cuban political prisoner Pedro Albert Sánchez, voiced his grave concerns this Sunday about the dire conditions his father is enduring in the 1580 correctional facility in Havana. According to Pedro Antonio, the Cuban regime is letting his father die by denying him access to medical care and essential medications.

Using Facebook as a platform, Pedro Antonio, whose father is serving a five-year sentence for participating in the July 11, 2021 protests, expressed his frustration over the lack of attention given to his father. This statement came on a day that should be marked by familial celebration, Father's Day. He decided to "make a formal complaint" to inform the world that the political prisoner in 1580 prison in San Miguel del Padrón is a victim of the State Security's decision to let him die by refusing all forms of medical attention and the medications he urgently needs due to his deteriorated health from torture and mistreatment.

Inhumane Conditions and Medical Neglect

Pedro Antonio also highlighted the poor conditions of the correctional facility, which further jeopardize his father's health, exacerbated by hunger strikes he has undertaken. "With the family’s effort, we managed to secure the medications he needed. My brother visited the prison last weekend and tried to deliver them, but they initially refused, made excuses, had an altercation, but eventually accepted them. However, to this day, we know my father hasn't received even a single pill nor has he been seen by a doctor," he lamented.

He also explained that the professor, who is over six decades old, has difficulty eating and requires medical attention, but his pleas go unheard. "They are trying to kill him, to let him die," he added.

"If the Cuban regime, which currently holds over a thousand political prisoners, thinks that letting my father die will end his ideology and everything he represents, they should know that his beliefs are shared by millions of Cubans who yearn for a prosperous, free Cuba with true democracy and justice," warned Pedro Antonio. He also stated that "justice will come for you when the time arrives, and believe me, it's not far off, just a few blackouts away," while reaffirming his family's full support for any decision his father makes.

"What we feel for him is profound respect and admiration. I have great faith that our moment of justice will come, just like it will for the other families suffering like ours," he said before endorsing the slogan "Patria y Vida" (Homeland and Life).

Mistreatment of political prisoners in Cuban prisons has become a recurring issue in recent months. For instance, Cuban activist Ángel Cuza Alfonso recently denounced the poor food conditions that inmates at the Combinado del Este prison in Havana endure. Cuza is among the 1,062 political prisoners recorded in Cuba, according to the NGO Prisoners Defenders, which in November 2023 published a study highlighting the presence of 28 minors serving sentences.

Last month, Yoanky Báez Albornoz, sentenced to 14 years in prison for his participation in the 11J protests, was reportedly beaten by officers at Combinado del Este, as per a fellow inmate. In an audio clip shared on Facebook by human rights activist Ángel Moya Acosta, inmate Ángel Castro Cabrera recounted that around 7:20 AM on May 14, Báez was subjected to repression by officers identified as Bryan and Jancarlos at the Havana facility.

Castro, a member of company 1301, described the situation of Báez and labeled the Ministry of Interior officers as "abusers and torturers," a department known for its oppressive role under the Castro regime.

In light of these events, Daimy Albornoz Rodríguez, the mother of the convicted, explained to Martí Noticias that the assault took place on the day her son’s company was scheduled to go out to the yard for sunlight, and that one of the guards involved might face trial in a Military Tribunal.