Cuban opponent Yunior Garcia Aguilera, the main organizer of a largely blocked protest Monday in Havana, arrived in Spain on Wednesday (November 17th), government sources told Agence France-Presse.
The 39-year-old playwright, who has become one of the leading figures in opposition to the Cuban regime, ” arrived “ in Spain “In the company of his wife with a tourist visa”, these sources said again, without providing further details. “We arrived in Spain, alive, in good health and with our ideas intact”, confirmed on Facebook the Cuban opponent. “Thanks to all the friends who worried about us”, he added, greeting the “People who made this trip possible”.
Later, the opponent also held a press conference in Madrid, during which he admitted: “I know it well, I can understand it, it’s a hard blow” for the Cuban opposition. He said, however, that he would, for his part, ” To [se] forgive for not having had the courage ” to have stayed, and “Asked forgiveness to be human, to think of [sa] wife and to [sa] life, and [s]‘to be escaped’ to avoid becoming “An undead, because that’s what [l]‘waited in Cuba’.
Attempted demonstration stifled
“In any case, I will not give up or surrender”, he assured, adding that he was not going to seek asylum in Spain and that he intended to return to Cuba when his life and that of his wife “Will no longer be threatened”.
Yunior Garcia is the creator of Facebook group of political debate Archipiélago, who called for a demonstration on November 15 in Havana, in order to demand the release of Cuban political prisoners. This demonstration, banned by the authorities, was cut short due to a strong police presence and the arrest of leaders of Cuban dissidence, who denounced a maneuver for “Silence” protesters.
Fearing violence during the demonstration, Yunior Garcia Aguilera announced last week his intention to march alone, Sunday, in the Cuban capital, a rose in his hand. But he could not carry out this project, prevented from leaving his home by the police. The playwright had not given any more news since that date, arousing the concern of his entourage and his supporters.
“I have been without means of communication for several days, and I need to update myself on the situation of the other members of Archipiélago. I will soon tell you about my odyssey », explained the activist on his Facebook page.
“Walking is a human right”
Born in Holguin, in eastern Cuba, Yunior Garcia Aguilera has long been known for his plays and scripts for television and film. But he has taken on another role since November 27, 2020, when hundreds of artists demonstrated to demand more freedom of expression: that of standard bearer of a new generation critical of the government, which includes artists, journalists and academics, most of them outside political parties.
When the island was shaken on July 11 by vast spontaneous demonstrations, unprecedented since the 1959 revolution, he did not hesitate to take part in the movement, trying to claim a few minutes of hearing on television. State. He ended up arrested, before being released the next day. “Walking is a human right, it is a constitutional right (…) and, therefore, on Monday, November 15, I will go out to demonstrate peacefully as we had agreed ”, he then declared in an interview with AFP in mid-October.
Cuban authorities accuse Yunior Garcia and other organizers of Monday’s protest of being agents trained and funded by Washington to bring about regime change. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on the Cuban government on Sunday “To respect the rights of Cubans, letting them come together in a peaceful manner”.