List of UNPACU strikers. Twenty-five activists of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) remain on hunger strike in the Altamira and El Cristo neighborhoods of Santiago de Cuba, but also in Guantanamo, Havana, Holguin, Las Tunas and Ciego de Avila.
Only one activist, Alberto Acosta Sánchez, is supporting the hunger strike from Brazil, as reported to CiberCuba by Nelva Ortega, member of UNPACU and wife of its leader, José Daniel Ferrer.
Although so far more than 70 people have joined the UNPACU hunger strike and a hundred have supported it with fasting, most of them have had to abandon the protest due to health problems.
On Wednesday, April 7, the physical deterioration of José Daniel Ferrer, who continues to suffer from kidney and stomach pains, head and joint pains, nausea, dizziness, loss of balance and weight, and blurred vision, was a cause for concern.
Today, Thursday, marks the 20th day of the hunger strike in protest against the siege maintained by State Security at the UNPACU headquarters, in the Santiago neighborhood of Altamira, to prevent the activists from delivering medicines and food to families at risk of extreme poverty in this province.
The strikers are only asking to be allowed to continue with their humanitarian work, but the Cuban political police will not budge despite international pressure.
The General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS) yesterday expressed its solidarity with the UNPACU activists who are on hunger strike and held the Cuban government responsible for the strikers' fate.
Yesterday Havana activists and leaders of the San Isidro Movement Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara and Maykel Osorbo asked Ferrer to end his hunger strike because they fear that State Security will not relent in order to lead them to their death.
Also speaking on the subject was rapper El Funky, who warned that it is necessary to be aware that the Altamira strikers could die at any moment.
The following is the complete list of those planted, provided by Nelva Ortega to CiberCuba:
1. José Daniel Ferrer García. Santiago de Cuba
2. Evert Luis Hidalgo Ladrón de Guevara. Santiago de Cuba
3. Ebert Hidalgo Cruz. Santiago de Cuba
4. Abel Peña Carcajal. El Cristo, Santiago de Cuba
5. Wilfredo Carrazana Carvajal. El Cristo, Santiago de Cuba
6. Samuel Leblán Pavón. Santiago de Cuba
7. Bartolo Cantillo Romero. Guantánamo
8. Roilán Zárraga Ferrer. Santiago de Cuba
9. Fernando González Vaillant. Santiago de Cuba
10. Ángel Suárez Cartaya. El Cristo, Santiago de Cuba
11. Ana Iris Miranda Leyva. Holguín
12. Ada Iris Miranda Leyva. Holguín
13. Fidel Manuel Batista Leyva. Holguín
14. Zaqueo Baez Guerrero. Havana
15. Alisanna Lores Furones. Guantánamo
16. Yoel Acosta Gámez. Guantánamo
17.. Yolanda Carmenate Fernández. Las Tunas
18. Alberto Acosta Sanchez. Brazil
19. Yoendris Luna Caballero. Santiago de Cuba (political prisoner)
Yanisel Reyes Bell. Santiago de Cuba
21. Yordankis Salgado Díaz. Common prisoner in the Canaleta Prison in Ciego de Avila.
22. Edilberto Ronal Arzuaga Alcalá. Political prisoner
23. Yainier Joubert Cisneros. Guantánamo
24. Evangelio Rodríguez Salcedo. San Luis, Santiago de Cuba
Pedro Enrique Martínez Machado. San Luis, Santiago de Cuba
Author: Tania Costa. (Havana, 1973) lives in Spain. She has edited the Spanish newspaper El Faro de Melilla and FaroTV Melilla. She was head of the Murcian edition of 20 minutos and Communication advisor of the Vice-presidency of the Government of Murcia (Spain).
