35-year-old Cuban political prisoner dies of a ‘heart attack’

From our Bureau of Socialist Methods of Execution with some assistance from our Bureau of Socialist Compassion and Social Justice

Gerardo Díaz Alonso, a father of two, was one of the hundreds of Cubans sent to prison for protesting on 11 July 2021 and he was serving a 14-year sentence. In 2022 he went on a hunger strike to protest his long sentence. According to Castro, Inc., he died of a heart attack, but that cause of death is extremely rare among 35 year old men. Something is fishy here. It is highly likely that he died of physical abuse or some untreated — but treatable — illness. Castro, Inc. loves it when political prisoners suddenly drop dead behind bars. It’s one of their favorite methods of execution.

Loosely translated from CiberCuba

Political prisoner Gerardo Díaz Alonso, 35 years old, who was sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment for participating in the July 2021 protests in the city of Cárdenas, Matanzas, passed away this Thursday due to a heart attack.

Díaz Alonso, who was also the father of two children, was being held in the high-security Canaleta prison in Ciego de Ávila, according to a report on Facebook by Aylín Sardiña Fernández.

Recently, the non-governmental organization Cubalex, which specializes in monitoring human rights in Cuba and providing free legal assistance on the island, published a report on repression in the country during the first half of 2024, reporting a total of 26 deaths in custody.

The conditions in Cuban prisons remain alarming, with evidence of torture, cruel and inhumane treatment, and a severe lack of medical care that contributes to deaths in custody.

The figure is even more striking when looking at the past two years, during which 56 deaths have occurred among individuals under the custody of the country’s authorities, with death being the final consequence of these cases.

Another study by the same organization warns that “deaths in custody have occurred across almost the entire Cuban territory, affecting individuals of various age ranges and social conditions. This suggests a systemic and widespread problem that requires urgent attention.”