Cuba Democracia y Vida, an organization of Cuban exiles in Sweden and elsewhere alerts that political prisoner Antonio Sánchez is being housed with violent criminals as punishment for his hunger strike in Canaleta prison.
Canaleta is a high security prison with more than 3000 inmates in the Ciego de Avila province of Cuba, where prisoners of conscience and activists are often put in overcrowded cells at the mercy of murderers and rapists.
In addition there are punishment cells that measure 1.5 X 1 meters wide by 1.5 meter high, dressed in rough concrete, including the bed. This means it’s extremely claustrophobic, as it’s impossible to stand up straight, lean against the wall or sleep outstretched. There’s a hole in the ground for a toilet and a water spout that comes on twice a day only. The only light in this hole is a mesh covered light bulb which stays on night and day. The door is solid metal with a peephole for guards and a hatch for food.
Jorge spent more than 5 years this prison, part of it without sentencing, and has related to me these inhumane conditions. It was here that he lost his arms. He was put in this punishment cell for 8 months at a time with reduced food rations. (1 bun and sugary water)
Unfortunately, Canaleta is not unique in Cuba, just a provincial part of a network of Castro’s repressive prison system.
[...] The following drawings were done by Jesús Joel Díaz Hernández in 1999. They are particularly valuable to me in that they are from the prison where Jorge lost his arms and spent a total of 5 years. Since there are no photographic reference I can use, this eyewitness graphic account is helpful to me. I wrote a previous post on Canaleta HERE [...]