His name is Manuel Ignacio Montero Maso, a native of Havana, who has been imprisoned in Mexico since last August. His wife, fellow Cuban Indiana Corvo, shared with CiberCuba the harrowing circumstances under which they were both detained and tortured, and her husband subsequently jailed. The couple had been in Mexico, planning to cross into the United States. "They have shattered our dream and our lives," she lamented in an interview with the portal.
Indiana Corvo recounted that her husband was apprehended while heading to a newly rented home due to increased rent costs at their previous residence, where they shared space with others. Each tenant had their own room. Unfortunately, one of the residents was kidnapped, and Manuel Ignacio Montero was falsely accused of being involved, despite clear video evidence showing neither he nor his wife were present during the abduction.
While en route to the new rental home, Mexican police intercepted their moving truck and arrested Manuel Ignacio Montero. During the transport to the station, he was handcuffed, beaten, and subjected to further abuse during interrogations. They even placed black bags over his head to suffocate him as a form of torture.
Despite having three witnesses testifying on his behalf, Manuel Ignacio Montero remains incarcerated in Toluca, State of Mexico. This is the same facility where fellow Cuban Néstor Damián Gámez has been detained for over a year, claiming he has been falsely accused of sexual abuse against his ex-wife and extortion of a judge handling his case.
Following Manuel's arrest, Indiana Corvo was also detained and subjected to sexual abuse in front of her husband. Mexican officers groped her breasts and vagina, threatening her husband with further sexual violence against her.
Indiana was released the next day but was later deported to Tabasco, 767 kilometers away, while bringing food to her husband at the police station. During this time, Manuel was brought before a judge as Indiana was being forcibly removed from the area.
Manuel Ignacio Montero was assigned a public defender who advised him to invoke his right to remain silent. Consequently, the young Cuban has been imprisoned for three months, with his case still unresolved. The kidnapped individual remains missing, and the innocent man continues to languish in jail.
When asked whether Cubans are safe in Toluca, Indiana Corvo's response was unequivocal: "We are not safe anywhere in Mexico. They are destroying our lives," she concluded.