POLITICAL PRISONER CARLOS MICHAEL IN CRITICAL CONDITION ON 21ST DAY OF HUNGER STRIKE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Update

POLITICAL PRISONER CARLOS MICHAEL IN CRITICAL CONDITION ON 21ST DAY OF HUNGER STRIKE

July 10, 2024 

Political prisoner Carlos Michael Morales was transferred in critical condition to the Villa Clara Provincial Hospital from Guamajal prison on July 9.

Despite his delicate condition, political police officers ordered Carlos Michael to be kept incommunicado as punishment for his hunger strike. His family has not been able to see or speak with him since the beginning of the strike three weeks ago. A prison guard stated that “doctors warned Carlos about the consequences of continuing without eating.”

The FDP Reporting Center alerts that Carlos Michael is in daily danger of suffering a cardio-pulmonary arrest or kidney failure and dying. The deterioration is progressive and could be irreversible. We hold Raúl Castro and Diaz Canel, along with the Minister of the Interior, Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas, responsible for the life and physical integrity of Carlos Michael Morales.

We urge the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the international community to demand the immediate release of Carlos Michael Morales and to denounce the continuous human rights violations against Carlos and other activists on the island.

We remind you that Carlos Michael Morales is an activist, journalist, and promoter of the Cuba Decide citizen platform. He has been unjustly imprisoned since May 4, 2024, in retaliation for his social media posts. Carlos has been subjected to constant violations and torture, which forced him to start his second hunger strike on June 19 with a single demand: his immediate release.