The Biden administration publicly condemned the assault on Cuban opposition leader José Daniel Ferrer this Thursday, which took place at the Mar Verde prison in Santiago de Cuba. Representing the Democratic administration's stance, Ambassador Brian A. Nichols, the Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter) calling for the release of the general coordinator of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (Unpacu) and the release of the thousands of political prisoners unjustly held in Cuban jails.
"We are outraged by reports that José Daniel Ferrer was beaten in prison and transferred to another detention center. We urge the Cuban government to grant immediate access to his family and to free him and nearly 1,000 other political prisoners unjustly detained in Cuba," Nichols expressed on social media.
The incident has also drawn the ire of Congressman Carlos A. Gimenez, who called for Ferrer's release and an end to repression in Cuba. Senator Rick Scott, the former governor of Florida, echoed these sentiments on the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, asserting that the Cuban regime seeks to kill José Daniel Ferrer. He called on the Biden administration to take immediate action to secure the release of all Cuban political prisoners.
"The Biden administration must act. The United States must immediately demand proof that José Daniel Ferrer is alive. If José Daniel is killed by the Castro-Díaz-Canel regime, his death will not only be a result of their evil but also of four years of weak appeasement by Biden and his refusal to defend human rights in Cuba and protect innocent political prisoners," Scott added.
Information relayed by a political prisoner to Ferrer's sister indicated that the opposition leader was urgently transferred to the hospital at Boniato prison on November 19 after being "brutally beaten." Ferrer's wife, Nelva Ortega, and other family members are currently stationed outside Boniato prison. A prison official confirmed to her that Ferrer is hospitalized but refused to allow them to see him. Ortega has long claimed that her husband is being slowly killed.
José Daniel Ferrer has been imprisoned since the historic protests of July 11, 2021. His time in detention has been notably harsh, not only because he attempted to protest peacefully but also due to restrictions placed on his communication with his wife and children. He has endured solitary confinement, and there have been multiple occasions where verification of his well-being was demanded due to concerns for his life.
In August, several Cuban organizations and figures advanced Ferrer's candidacy for the Sakharov Prize of the European Parliament. On July 29, Ferrer marked his 54th birthday in the feared Mar Verde prison in Santiago de Cuba, confined to a sealed cell. His family has not seen him since March.