Dissident Family Brutalized in Attack by Castro Paramilitaries

Husband hangs between life and death; son suffers skull fracture.

The past seven years in Cuba has been marked by escalations in the number of arbitrary detentions, severity of violent assaults against the democratic opposition, and the extrajudicial killings of high profile pro-democracy leaders. The Cuban Democratic Directorate's press release reproduced below is another example of the worsening human rights situation on the island. Above photos taken from the twitter feed of Cuban opposition leader and former prisoner of conscience Angel Moya.

Miami, Florida- May 9th, 2016 - Cuban Democratic Directorate. Days after the Chanel fashion show in Havana, Rosa Escalona, member of “The Ladies in White”, a human rights group in Cuba, along with her husband and three sons were subjected to a savage beating by Castro thugs. All four family members suffered great bodily injury, with her husband Alberto Pedro Freire Leiva being the most critically injured. This unprovoked attack took place Sunday, May 8^th in the city of Holguín, Cuba. The attack is part of a rising wave of violence by the regime against members of the opposition.

Rosa made the following statement by way of telephone to the Cuban Democratic Directorate:

“Yesterday I was detained as I was heading to church. I was once again threatened by members of the State Security who stated that they would “finish with me and my family”. Two men came out of Lenin Hospital with iron bars and proceeded to attack us. My 25 year old son’s head was broken in two places and he received a skull fracture, my two small sons received blows throughout their bodies and I sustained direct blows to my ribs and a broken head. My husband, Alberto Pedro Freire Leiva is currently in grave condition and it is not known if he will survive. His spleen was broken in two places and as a result, he has had massive internal bleeding with more than 1,000 millimeters of blood throughout his abdomen. My son Yunior Alberto Freire Escalona is under observation in neurosurgery where he might need to be operated. During the attack, one of the men disclosed knowing that I was a member of the “Ladies in White” and a counter revolutionary, he warned me to be very careful of him because when he catches me on the street again he will run me and my sons over with a truck.” 

The Cuban Democratic Directorate “Directorio” denounces this vile attack and makes the Regime of the Castro brothers, State Security, and all the Castro henchman that perpetuated this violent act responsible for anything happening to Lady in White Rosa Escalona and the members of her family.