Diasniurka Salcedo Verdecia She arrived with her husband and two of her children on Tuesday morning at the Miami Airport, where she staged an emotional reunion with her eldest son after nine months without seeing him, after the young man also left the country due to pressure from the regime.
Images released by the activist herself and through the local press showed the warm reception that family and friends gave to the activist, who assured that she will continue fighting for the freedom of Cuba.
Diasniurka Salcedo explained that after demonstrate with other mothers in the vicinity of the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) in November, the dictatorship gave him a deadline to leave the country or else he would go to prison.
“It is difficult because I left my children, part of my family behind and I cannot return because I was threatened when leaving (…) but I am calm with myself and I am also sure that I will return to my country, because Cuba is going to be free,” he said in statements to Telemundo 51.
The activist had five minors under her care and had tickets to travel with three of them, but while at the José Martí Airport, agents of the regime informed her that one of her children had to stay.
“They told me that he was staying because someone had to stay so that I could remain silent,” he explained.
Asked if he believed that the regime has little left, he answered confidently: “Of course they have little left and they know it, and hence so much repression.”
“They have been days of anguish, of great concern, of uncertainty, without knowing what was happening,” said Aylín Díaz, Diasnurka’s sister, who sees the arrival of part of the family with relief.
“But we are now together, which is what matters, and now we focus on moving forward and fighting for the freedom of Cuba.”concluded the activist’s son in statements to the aforementioned media.
Salcedo left Cuba in January, after months of harassment by state security. She had to say goodbye to several of the children in her care – orphans, children of prisoners or abusive parents – whom she adopted more than four years ago, and whose custody they threatened to take away from her.
“I had to leave Cuba, I had to leave most of my children behind, only two options for me: leave Cuba, my homeland, my land, the one I love and for which I have fought head-on for more than 14 years; or go to prison to serve an unjust 8-year sentence,” he said at the beginning of the year in an emotional post on Facebook.
After spending more than two months on a difficult journey with her husband and two of her young children, the activist managed to reach the border with the United States, where she was detained in Phoenix, Arizona. After being detained for a week, they were released this Monday by the United States immigration authorities.
