On Tuesday, José Alejandro Rodríguez Gelín, a young Cuban, was finally reunited with his family after enduring four and a half years behind bars for his involvement in the peaceful demonstrations on July 11, 2021.
His mother, Meibel Gelin García, captured their emotional reunion in a Facebook post, describing the moment as a burst of joy that followed years filled with suffering, uncertainty, and powerlessness against a judicial system bent on punishing civic dissent.
José Alejandro's return does not erase the past: "We've suffered and cried a lot, but today God returns him to us, a mature man, steadfast in his beliefs, with scars only time and our love can heal," Meibel reflected.
She expressed gratitude for the support they received over the years, yet acknowledged her happiness remains incomplete as long as numerous Cuban mothers continue to wait for their children still imprisoned.
"We cannot forget the mothers longing to embrace their free children, nor can we stop demanding the release of all political prisoners and supporting those who remain unjustly behind bars," she emphasized.
The Flawed Justice System's Impact
José Alejandro's ordeal exemplifies the judicial repression following the largest protests in Cuba's dictatorship history: countless young individuals were charged with offenses like attack, incitement to commit crime, or public disorder, devoid of evidence of any actual aggression or harm.
In Rodríguez Gelín's situation, state security acknowledged his innocence regarding the attack charges, yet he was still sentenced to nine years in prison, a grossly exaggerated penalty his family consistently denounced as politically motivated.
In January 2022, the families of five detainees from Jovellanos, including Rodríguez Gelín, publicly decried the lack of legal guarantees in Cuba. They highlighted the absence of evidence and the behavior of judges and prosecutors, who acted as the state's repressive arm, ignoring testimonies, evidence, and fundamental rights.
The Mischaracterization of a Student
Back in October 2021, Meibel Gelin García penned an open letter to ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel, clarifying her son's true identity: not a political agitator, but a Spanish-Literature student with severe health issues and aspirations for improvement, like many young Cubans disillusioned by the country's reality.
The letter also mocked the prosecutor's portrayal of him as "idle," despite being a university student at the time of his arrest.
His mother recounted that her son harmed no one, merely chanted slogans and urged other protesters not to insult near the hospital or demonstrate without health precautions. Nonetheless, he was punished as if he were a dangerous criminal.
She also revealed he spent 40 days in a windowless room, isolated, and even during health crises, authorities refused to adjust his detention conditions.
In that letter, Gelin voiced sentiments that remain pertinent with her son now at home: "I know exactly what to call what they did to my son: injustice, repression."
Freedom Without Justice
The release of José Alejandro Rodríguez Gelín does not undo the harm inflicted nor rectify the impunity of the system that imprisoned him. It merely highlights how Cuba's justice has been wielded to punish dissent and instill fear.
Like him, many young people remain incarcerated for exercising a universal right: protesting against the government.
His mother's words were clear when she welcomed him home: their happiness is not whole while political prisoners exist in Cuba. Her son is free, but justice remains imprisoned.
Understanding Cuba's Political Repression
What led to José Alejandro Rodríguez Gelín's imprisonment?
José Alejandro was jailed for participating in peaceful protests on July 11, 2021, despite lack of evidence of wrongdoing.
How did the Cuban government justify his harsh sentence?
The government charged him with serious offenses like attack, although no evidence supported these claims, indicating political motives.
What does his release signify regarding Cuba's justice system?
His release underscores the systemic use of justice to suppress dissent and demonstrates ongoing political repression in Cuba.