International Human Rights Groups Demand Freedom for 11J Protesters in Cuba

Numerous international human rights organizations have called this Thursday, on the third anniversary of the historic July 11th protests, for the release of over 600 prisoners still unjustly jailed for their participation in these demonstrations.

Prisoners Defenders reported on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that in the past three years they have recorded a total of 1,728 political prisoners. "Today, there are still 1,117 political prisoners on the island," the organization emphasized, noting that "150 were already listed as political prisoners before July 11th." Additionally, they stated that 611 prisoners from the July 2021 protests have now fully served their sentences.

Victims of Communism, an educational, research, and human rights nonprofit organization dedicated to commemorating those who have suffered under communist regimes, also posted on X: "We must not abandon their struggle for democracy." The association pointed out that more than 700 people remain behind bars out of the more than 1,400 who were detained after the Cuban people took to the streets seeking freedom.

On its website, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the Special Rapporteurship for Freedom of Expression (RELE) warned about the increased repression by the Cuban regime against activists and human rights defenders, as well as the worsening conditions that led to the protests. They urged the Cuban government to address the legitimate demands of the people and called for the release of all those imprisoned for their participation or support of social protests.

The IACHR noted that this year, civil society has staged new protests mainly driven by the deterioration of the conditions that sparked the 2021 demonstrations. However, the organization denounced that the state has once again employed the same repressive patterns documented since July 11th. During the protests on March 17 and 18, 2024, reports were received of militarized cities, activists monitored in their homes, internet outages, and at least 37 people detained. Additionally, there were reports of interrogations and detentions of activists for their social media posts, and proposed migration policies that could threaten exiled individuals.

Amnesty International, for its part, highlighted on X that the July 11th and 12th protests represented a historic demand for human rights in Cuba. The organization emphasized that the only crime committed by the unjustly jailed protesters was demanding their rights. They noted that the Cuban regime's repressive actions had a human cost that extended beyond the prisons: "Entire families are torn apart, suffering harassment and repression for demanding rights for their loved ones trapped behind bars."

However, as warned by the organization Cubalex, three years after the historic July 11th protests, "the causes that triggered the 2021 social unrest remain." The group also indicated that the country currently shows "an alarming landscape of repression and severe human rights violations."

Several Cuban artists abroad have joined the initiative to remember the historic July 11th, 2021 protests, posting messages of support and demanding justice for the political prisoners still held in the regime's jails. Los Pichy Boys, Randy Malcom, Leoni Torres, Baby Lores, Andy Vázquez, and Yotuel, among others, recalled the demonstrations and warned that the causes of the social unrest persist, such as the lack of political freedom, freedom of expression, and artistic creativity.

From the historic and massive protests that took place on July 11th and 12th in various cities in Cuba against the regime, 600 protesters remain imprisoned out of the 1,500 detained for peacefully defending their dream of freedom.