Following Monday's announcement made by Cuban President Raul Castro, the Cuban American National Foundation provided a list of 47 verified political prisoners currently supported by the foundation.
This comes after Castro answered an American journalist's question about political prisoners, during a historic press conference in Cuba with President Obama, and why he doesn't release them. He said, "When the meeting concludes, give me a list with the names. If we have those political prisoners, they will be released before tonight ends."
The list was released and CANF said in a statement: "It is our expectation that these political prisoners will be released, unconditionally, by this evening."
"I think it's like a message to the world. 'We will never admit anything. We will never reconsider or we'll never say that we regret what we have done,'" said Juan Adolfo Fernandez, former political prisoner.
Fernandez was a political prisoner in Cuba from 2003 to 2010. He calls Castro's response absurd, "It's a joke. It's a very black humor joke to say there are no political prisoners in Cuba."
Fernandez now works with the Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba helping people who have family in jail on the communist island.
The organization is part of the Cuban American National Foundation, which released the list of 47 political prisoners who receive support from the foundation.
The list includes each name of the prisoners, their location, sentence and date of imprisonment:
- Liusban John Utra, PRISION PROVINCIAL LAS TUNAS, 7 years, March 6 2013
- Ricardo Pelier Frómeta, COMBINADO DE GUANTANAMO, 3 years, May 15 20
- Eglis Heredia Rodríguez, BONIATO, SANTIAGO, 5 years, May 13 2014
- Daniel Ernesto Dufó Preval, COMBINADO DE GUANTANAMO, 2 years, May 15 2014
- Yoelkis Rosabal Flores, COMBINADO DE GUANTANAMO, 4 years, May 15 2014
- Amado Verdecia Díaz MAR VERDE, SANTIAGO 5 years Oct 20 2014
- Mario Ronaide Figueroa Dieguez AGUADORES, SANTIAGO 3 years Dec 2 2014
- María del Carmen Cala Aguilera CARCEL DE MUJERES, HOLGUIN Pending April 24 2015
- Yosvani Arostegui Armenteros CERAMICA ROJA, CAMAGÜEY Pending Feb 8 2015
- Santiago Cisneros Castellanos AGUADORES, SANTIAGO Pending July 21 2014
- Enrique Bartolomé Cámbara KILO 8, CAMAGÜEY 8 years July 21 2014
- Edilberto Arzuaga Alcalá CERÁMICA ROJA, CAMAGÜEY 1 year Sept 27 2011
- David Fernández Cardoso Bungo 8, CONTRAMAESTRE 10 months Nov 11 2015
- Maikel Mediaceja Ramos La Granjita. Mar Verde 6 months Nov 11 2015
- Laudelino Rodríguez Mendoza Granjita Boniato Pending Nov 5 2015
- Yosvani Izaguirre Hernández AGUADORES, SANTIAGO 6 months Nov 5 2015
- Alexeis Serrano Avila AGUADORES, SANTIAGO 4 years Oct 12 2015
- Fernando Isael Peña Tamayo, PRISION PROVINCIAL LAS TUNAS, Pending, Aug 15 2015
- Leonardo Cobas Pérez MOSCU, CONTRAMAESTRE 5 years June 29 2015
- Silverio Portal Contrera VALLE GRANDE 1 year
- Osvaldo Rodriguez Acosta MAYABEQUE 9 years April 2 2013
- Osvaldo Rodriguez Castillo MAYABEQUE 7 years April 2 2013
- Mario Alberto Hernández Leyva, VALLE GRANDE, Pending, June 16 2015
- Orlando Contrera Aguilar QUIVICÁN, MAYABEQUE 6 years June 16 2015
- Augusto Guerra Márquez VALLE GRANDE 2 years Dec 12 2015
- Reinier Rodríguez Mendoza SAN JOSE, LA HABANA (VIH) 2 years July 31 2015
- Ernesto Ortega Sarduy, VALLE GRANDE, Pending, Sept 30 2015
- Isaín López Luna, 1580, 3 years, July 8 2015
- Warley Pérez Cruz, TACO TACO, 6 months, Oct 13 2015
- Nora Lisset Hernández Bulís MANTO NEGRO 18 months
- Jordys Manuel Dosil Fong, 1580, 3 years, Aug 5 2015
- Alexander Alan Rodríguez VALLE GRANDE Pending July 8 2015
- Emilio Serrano Rodríguez VALLE GRANDE Pending Oct 22 2015
- Carlos Amaury Calderín Roca, VALLE GRANDE, 3 years, July 8 2015
- Misael Delgado Romeu, KM 5 Y MEDIO, P DEL RIO, 6 years
- Yoanny Thomas González COMBINADO DEL ESTE, HABANA life sentence
- Elieski Roque Chongo ARIZA, CIENFUEGOS 5 years Oct 17 2014
- Alfredo Limonte Rodríguez ARIZA, CIENFUEGOS 2 years
- Joel Mariano Bencomo Martínez, GUAMAJAL, VILLA CLARA, 3 years
- Yaxiel Espino Aceval ARIZA, CIENFUEGOS 4 years March 29 2014
- José David González Fumero NIEVES MOREJON Pending
- Mario Morera Jardines EL CHIVO, VILLA CLARA 3 years
- Miguel Borroto Vázquez, VALLE GRANDE, Pending, July 31 2015
- Osvaldo Arcís Hernández, PROVARI (Campamento), 2 years, Dec 9 2015
- Ricardo González Sendiña, COMBINADO DEL ESTE, HABANA, 6 years
- Ariel González Sendiña COMBINADO DEL ESTE, HABANA 6 years
- Leudis Reyes Cuza COMBINADO DEL ESTE, HABANA 5 years Sept 24 2015
