Cuban Dissident Jose Daniel Ferrer Released from Jail, Part of Vatican-Negotiated Plan to Free Hundreds of Prisoners
HAVANA – Cuban dissident and human rights activist Jose Daniel Ferrer has been released from jail and is at home, according to Reuters. Ferrer is part of a broader plan negotiated with the Vatican to gradually free upwards of 500 prisoners. The Cuban government began releasing a small number of prisoners on Wednesday, following talks with the Catholic Church.
The move comes as the US administration announced it would significantly loosen sanctions on Cuba. The decision was made despite criticism from US Senator Marco Rubio, who was chosen by President-elect Donald Trump to head the State Department.
Many of the prisoners released this week were arrested in association with unprecedented anti-government protests that took place in July 2021, the largest protests since Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution. The US, Europe, and human rights groups had criticized Cuba’s response to the protests as repressive and heavy-handed.
Ferrer, leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), was arrested in October 2019 on charges of abducting and assaulting a man. He was sentenced to four years in jail but served the majority under house arrest. He was picked up again by police in July 2021 for violating the terms of his house arrest.
Cuba has said it will continue to gradually release prisoners from its jails in the coming days and weeks. Ferrer, who is in fair health, said he is still determined to fight for the freedom of Cuba.