Without informing his family and through a secret process, the communist Castro dictatorship forced former political prisoner and vocal opponent Jorge Cervantes Garcia into exile. The father of two young children was never informed he was being forced into exile until his forced departure.
The Cuban government exiled dissident Jorge Cervantes García on Wednesday, September 10, without his family’s knowledge, in a process shrouded in secrecy. Cervantes García, a father of two young children, was exiled without prior notice, according to the Cuban Observatory for Human Rights (OCDH). Authorities escorted the dissident onto a plane, and his destination remains unknown.
The OCDH announced on social media that they would provide more details when deemed appropriate. Cervantes, a former political prisoner and member of the opposition group Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), has been a thorn in the side of the Cuban dictatorship due to his vocal denunciations on social media. As a result, he has frequently been targeted by the State Security, facing threats and imprisonment.
In February, Cervantes sent a powerful message to the Castro regime, condemning the lack of freedom, the increasing repression, and the widespread shortages affecting the population. He urged the government to open the doors to democracy, stating that “everyone, not just a select few, should have what cost so much blood and sacrifice.”
In March of this year, he was arbitrarily detained and went on a hunger strike in protest, demanding his release. Cervantes García’s name now joins a list of other individuals deemed “inconvenient” by the regime, who have been forcibly separated from their country, culture, and families.
The Castro dictatorship has a long history of getting rid of dissidents and opposition leaders it deems to be too difficult by either imprisoning them, executing them, or forcing them into exile.