Report Following Visit to Angel Santiesteban-Prats in Prison

Report Following Visit to Angel Santiesteban-Prats in Prison
Posted on April 14, 2013

After a week of anxious uncertainty about the destination and the
conditions in which Angel was then being transferred illegally, against
his will and violently from La Lima prison so that he could not talk to
the commission of journalists who visited the center April 9, finally
yesterday, April 13, two relatives were able to see him.

He agreed, during the visit, to drink two cups of broth, but reaffirmed
that his hunger strike will not end until he is returned to the prison
where he was and all his rights were respected. He has lost some weight
but remains steadfast in his ideals and is acting according to the
dictates of his conscience.

Has informed us that the prison authorities left him with no option but
to declare a hunger strike in protest, because he was treated as a
terrorist and they tried to dress in clothes of a prisoner, which under
no circumstances will he allow.

After his refusal to wear the uniform of a common prisoner and having
declared a hunger strike, he was transferred to a punishment cell where
there no light or sun. We note that the first cell where they locked him
previously had no bathroom, the latter does have something called a
"bathroom".

Since Monday he had not washed, not even his mouth; he only did so in
the presence of family and will continue thus until he is returned to La
Lima Prison — from where he never should have been removed — in the
same conditions in which he was before.

In the punishment cell has only a "bed" of cast concrete and they did
not allow him to keep his glasses. He has only his clothes, a toothbrush
and toothpaste.

Monday morning he will be visited by his lawyer, Ms. Amelia Rodriguez Cala.

In view of what happened, and aware of and concerned about the integrity
of our beloved Angel, we reiterate what was stated in the previous
statement.

We hold Raul Castro Ruz absolutely responsible for what might happen to
Angel Santiesteban Prats and remind the Cuban dictator that Angel is not
a criminal, he did not commit any of the crimes that were invented to
keep him locked up and to make him remain silent. He is innocent, he did
not invade the home of the mother of his son, which was also the home of
his son, nor did he assault her.

He has proved repeatedly and conclusively that he is innocent of all
charges against him. But justice, responding to the dictates of State
security, not only dismissed the evidence but also did not allow the
testimony of the defense witnesses. If any doubts remain, we suggest to
Mr. Raul Castro Ruz who is personally interested in knowing the court
records, that he view the evidence with which Anger proved his
innocence, listen to the witnesses and view the video hosted on Youtube
in which a false witness, fabricated by the accusers, tells how Mrs.
Rodriguez Kenya personally offered him payments and benefits in exchange
for testifying against the father of her child.

To top it off, the false witness claims he does not know Angel, and had
never seen him. We urge Mr. Raul Castro Ruz to demonstrate to the world
the much publicized "humanism and democratic character of the Cuban
Revolution" holding in his own hands the hoax of the State Security
against Angel, shamefully violating the separation of powers that need
to exist for any society to be truly democratic.

Given this state of affairs, not only do we demand that Raul Castro Ruz
ensure the integrity of Angel but also that he be immediately
transferred back La Lima, in the same condition in which he was removed,
despite continuing to be unjustly imprisoned, so he can at least
continue to work tirelessly as he had done: writing, which is his job,
his passion and his reason for being.

You can imagine what the Lieutenant Colonel and handwriting expert would
say now of the script Angel is writing in the dark and without glasses
as he is doing in the punishment cell. If before he dared to send him to
prison for the size and slant of his handwriting, now he would do
nothing less than suggest that they ask for the death penalty …

The international media, human rights organizations, family and friends
are very attentive to what happens to Angel and we repeat that we hold
the entire Havana regime and its leaders responsible for him.

And hopefully, without losing a minute, they will do the right thing.
Truth and justice are the way.

Embarrassingly, the case of our brother and friend is not unique.
Therefore, we talso demand that Raúl Castro Ruz release of all political
prisoners flooding the Cuban prisons. We demand for all of them as well
as for our beloved Angel: justice and truth.

On behalf of his family and friends,

The Editor

(Note from Translating Cuba's editor: A poem by Angel attached to this
post will be posted later… as soon as the "experts" finish translating it.)

http://translatingcuba.com/report-following-visit-to-angel-santiesteban-prats-in-prison/