HAVANA.– The political express of the dictatorship of CubaJuan Carlos Herrera Acosta, died at the age of 57 in Syracuse, New York, from a massive heart attack. His death causes great sadness among the Cuban community since in life, he raised his voice for freedom regardless of the consequences he faced.
The independent journalist was sentenced in 2003 to 20 years in prison by the Castro regime. He served a seven-year sentence and was subjected to inhuman punishments and torture during his time in prison.
The information about his death was reported by the web portal Martí News
During his captivity in the Cuba Sí prisons in Holguín and the Guantánamo Complex, Herrera Acosta carried out various hunger strikes to denounce the cruel treatment to which he was subjected.
Victim of the iron dictatorship in Cuba
In life, the former political prisoner was a member of the group of 75, a group of activists and opponents whom the regime of the then dictator Fidel Castro arrested and subjected to summary trials with severe sentences to neutralize the protests in favor of freedom on the island. , an action known as the Black Spring.
In 2008, while he was still serving political prison, his daughter and his ex-wife died due to a traffic accident in Sancti Spíritus.
On August 19, 2010, Herrera Acosta achieved exile in Madrid after negotiations between the Spanish government and the Vatican with the Cuban regime for the release of the group of 75.
“I consider myself still in prison because there are still many colleagues in Cuban prisons,” he declared at that time.
The sudden death of the opponent has caused sadness and surprise among friends and colleagues.
Just on Friday, Herrera Acosta had published a video on his networks where he reacted to the death of Russian opponent Alexei Navalni in prison.
“It is with deep regret that I learn of the death of my friend and brother Juan Carlos Herrera Acosta, a brave man who dedicated his life to the fight for freedom and human rights in Cuba. His departure leaves an indelible void in our hearts,” Normando Hernández, also a former political prisoner and director of the Cuban Institute for Freedom of Expression and the Press (ICLEP), told Martí Noticias.
Hernández considers that Herrera Acosta was “a symbol of resistance, dignity and hope.”
Herrera Acosta had resided in the United States since 2011, where he continued to exercise activism for the democratization of Cuba, as evidenced by a video from 2022 where he is seen unmasking a defender of the Havana regime.
Source: WRITING
