MIAMI.- The renowned Cuban opposition and environmentalist Orlando Polo died in Miami at the age of 81, after having been hospitalized since his birthday on April 16.
Polo was known for his bravery and determination in his fight for human rights and respect for the environment. He is remembered for a long walk, together with his dog Rex, from José Martí’s birthplace in Havana to the Santa Efigenia cemetery in Santiago de Cuba.
During this day, Polo criticized the regime and exposed the deficiencies of what he considered a failed government, while managing to gather many people who supported his cause, which caused “paranoia” in the political police, who “thought it was sent by the United States,” according to his wife Mechi Páez Polo.
In conversation with DIARIO LAS AMÉRICAS, the dissident’s widow stated that Polo did not consider himself a dissident, but rather a “revolutionary with a critical position.” According to her, for Polo the “true counterrevolutionaries” are those who make up the Cuban regime.
Polo and his wife created the Sendero Verde Foundation, an environmental movement that fought against the Juraguá nuclear power plant and protested against the embankments that join several islets in Cuba, which caused the death of fish.
“Fidel Castro proved us right when he suspended the construction of the Juraguá nuclear plant, after the explosion of the Chernobyl plant in Russia,” Mechi said.
According to Polo’s widow, together they were tireless activists, and although they lacked government or private aid, they carried out various campaigns that they financed with their own resources, “leaving seeds for various environmental groups on the island.”
Polo was arrested more than 30 times, but he always advocated for the needs of the people without resorting to violence. His wife accompanied him on another walk through different places in the island nation.
The dissident was a great animal lover and saw his Doberman Rex as his adventure companion. “I even wanted to write a book about that friendship,” said the opponent’s wife.
Polo and Mechi arrived in the United States in 1991, after the Cuban authorities prevented them from returning, using a method used by the dictatorship to get rid of “people who create problems for them.”
The death of the opponent was recorded on April 25. His viewing will be this Tuesday, May 7 at the La Paz Funeral Home, located at 3500 NW 7 St, Miami, FL 33125.
Meanwhile, the burial will take place on May 8 at 1:30 pm at Our Lady of Mercy Cemetery at 11411 NW 25 ST, Miami, FL.
Polo and Mechi were together for almost 40 years, united in their fight for a better world.
Orlando Polo, a revolutionary critic and tireless activist, will be remembered for his passion, his love for human rights and the environment, and his deep respect for others.
