MEXICO CITY 

Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia, a Cuban political dissident who has been imprisoned on multiple occasions including for his involvement in the 2021 protests, left Cuba on Monday after a formal request from the US government.

According to Cuba’s Foreign Ministry, Ferrer Garcia was under a provisional detention order imposed by the prosecutor's office, as he was charged with committing a new crime. Authorities later decided to modify this precautionary measure.

The leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) has been a well-known opponent of the Cuban revolutionary government since the era of Fidel Castro. Over the past 20 years, the 55-year-old has spent time both in and out of prison for his participation in various anti-government movements.

In late 2024, people close to Ferrer reported that he had been severely beaten by staff at the Mar Verde prison, where he was serving a sentence of four years and six months.

The Cuban government emphasized that Ferrer’s release and subsequent exile to the US came after "an exhaustive evaluation by the prosecutor’s office of Ferrer Garcia’s legal situation," and was based on the specific circumstances of his case.

Ferrer was freed from prison, where he was reunited with his family. Together, they departed for Miami, Florida, earlier on Monday.

“The Cuban State reiterates its unwavering commitment to the application of the law; the protection of all individuals’ rights; the defense of our sovereignty in the face of smear campaigns; and the preservation of peace and constitutional order,” read a statement from the ministry.

Separately, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described Ferrer as "a courageous leader of Cuba’s pro-democracy movement," saying he had endured "abuse, torture, and threats to his life" while imprisoned.

The top diplomat said the US administration "remains committed to the Cuban people’s pursuit of freedom" and called for the release of more than 700 people he described as political prisoners in Cuba.  

*Contribution by Rabia Iclal Turan