Nicaraguan authorities have blocked the entry of Cuban opposition activist Bárbara de Céspedes into the country, preventing him from fleeing the country, several Cuba-focused media outlets reported. report on monday.
De Céspedes is an outspoken opponent of the communist Castro regime, living in the Cuban city of Camaguey, and has been given the nickname “Patriot of Camaguey” for his activist stance against the ruling communists.
He was arrested by the Castro regime and sentenced to two years in prison on charges of assault, insubordination and insult for taking part in historic nationwide protests in July 2021. protest More than 187,000 Cubans took to the streets in protest against Communism. release February 2024.
in video In a statement posted on his Facebook page, de Cespedes said that since serving his sentence, Cuban state security has continued to “make life impossible” for him and his family, preventing them from finding work and warning them that they would be detained and prosecuted again if “anything happens” in Camaguey.
De Cespedes said he attempted to flee Cuba due to ongoing persecution and, through an acquaintance, arranged for a multi-stop flight from Cuba to Nicaragua on June 14.
“I have made the most difficult decision of my life to emigrate from the country I love and protect,” de Cespedes said, “not because I am afraid of death, but because I no longer have a life and I don’t want to bring trouble to my family.”
Ruled by the communist Sandinista government led by dictator Daniel Ortega, Nicaragua does not have the visa required for entry into most countries. To give permission U.S.-bound migrants are free to pass through their own territory on their way to the U.S. Nicaragua is the only Central American country that does not require an entry visa. Requirements For Cuban people.
In the video, the activist denounced that while he was on a bus to the airport, he received a message from an acquaintance who had arranged his trip, saying that the airline handling his flight had canceled his flight reservation because Nicaraguan immigration authorities had not allowed de Cespedes to enter the country.
De Cespedes accused Cuba’s National Security Service and Nicaraguan authorities of conspiring to prevent him from leaving the country, effectively stranding him in Cuba.
“I’m not crying because I was rejected, I’m crying because of the decision I had to make,” Cespedes said. “Anyone who knows me knows that my country comes before anything else, above my feelings. And these people [the Castro regime] “They have sentenced me to life on this prison island. I am not allowed to go outside, but I am not allowed to live either.”
The activist said Nicaragua also banned one of his daughters from entering the country in late 2021, but she was eventually able to flee to the United States recently.
In the video, de Céspedes said his decision to criticize Rosabel Roca Sampedro, a prosecutor for the Castro regime who sentenced him and at least four other Cuban men to prison for participating in the July 2021 protests and who has since been released, was Reportedly He was accused of applying for asylum in the U.S. through the Biden administration’s CBPOne app, which led to his being denied entry into Nicaragua by Cuban and Nicaraguan regime authorities.
“Ever since I reported on one of their men, they have been trying to harm me as much as they can. I am willing to do anything for my country and they will not silence me,” de Cespedes said.
US-based media outlet Martí Noticias last week asked de Cespedes for comment on Roca Sampedro’s US asylum application.
“That woman was very tyrannical towards me. She wouldn’t even allow me to speak. When they tried to silence me in court, I defended myself by using the Constitution,” de Cespedes said last week. “Because of her I was in prison for a year and eight months.”
“She has always shown a rejection of me and my intentions. I would be very happy if she is deported to this country. She does not deserve to live freely,” he continued.
Christian K. Caruso is a Venezuelan author documenting life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter. here.
