Fernando Bárzaga released from Cuban prison after 11J protest sentence

Fernando Michael Bárzaga Mompié, a 44-year-old member of the opposition group Cuba Independiente y Democrática (CID), was released from prison in Manzanillo, Granma, after completing his sentence. Bárzaga had been serving a five-year sentence for charges of public disorder and assault related to his participation in the July 11, 2021, protests.

Upon his release, Bárzaga expressed continued political resolve, stating, “Freedom is not complete until the people of Cuba are free; I am not free.” He emphasized his intention to continue the democratic struggle, asserting that Cubans have the right to live with dignity and demand their freedoms.

During his incarceration, which included time at the Las Mangas provincial prison in Granma, Bárzaga reported inhumane conditions, including overcrowding, shortages of food and medicine, and psychological torture. He noted that other protesters from the July 11 demonstrations remain imprisoned.