Ivan Fernandez Depestre: A new political prisoner in Cuba

Meet Ivan Fernandez Depestre, yet another political prisoner of the apartheid Castro dictatorship in Cuba.

Via Pedazos de la Isla:

New political prisoner in Cuba: Ivan Fernandez Depestre

Meet one of the newest political prisoners in Cuba, Ivan Fernandez Depestre (pictured above).

Ivan, who is approximately 40 years of age, recently joined the public opposition on the island, specifically the Orlando Zapata Tamayo National Civic Resistance Front and the group Awakened Youth.  He was arrested by the political police on July 30th when he participated in a protest march in the city of Placetas, Villa Clara in honor of a fallen patriot, Frank Pais, along with other dissidents.  The authorities kept him detained and quickly sentenced him on August 2nd to a 2 year prison term in the Municipal Tribunal of Placetas.

During the ‘trial’, Fernandez Depestre was accused under the ‘Pre-Social Dangerousness Law’, which could dictate time behind bars for any citizen just because the authorities think that person would be a danger in the future.  The law has  been used to send thousands of Cubans to prison without having had committed crimes, and it is specifically used against dissidents, especially young ones.

Jorge Luis Garcia Perez ‘Antunez’, former political prisoner and leader of the OZT Front, has been reporting about this case and has asked for more solidarity with the jailed activist.

Ivan Fernandez Depestre committed the horrible crime of daring to go out with other pro-freedom activists this past 30th of July in a peaceful march, dressed with their clothes backwards, paying tribute to Frank Pais on the anniversary of his death“, declared Antunez in an audio published on his YouTube account.

Continue reading HERE.

1 thought on “Ivan Fernandez Depestre: A new political prisoner in Cuba”

  1. Frank Pais was an important underground anti-Batista leader, but he was also a devout Christian and anti-communist, and presented a threat to Fidel’s supremacy and future plans. Very conveniently and “accidentally,” Batista’s forces were tipped off to the location of his hideout by Vilma Espin, Mariela Castro’s mother. They found him there and killed him. Fidel, of course, was happy to hail him as a revolutionary martyr after he was safely dead and no longer a problem. As for Ivan, sorry, but he’s not properly black (meaning like Mandela). Just another bad Negro who’s not duly grateful to Massah Castro.

Comments are closed.