Son of Cuban-American Professor Imprisoned in Cuba Urges Her Release in U.S.-Cuba Talks

Michael Peralta, the son of Cuban-American professor Alina López Miyares, who is serving a 13-year prison sentence handed down by a Cuban military court, recently gave an interview to CNN. In it, he demanded that his mother's release be a focal point in the ongoing negotiations between the United States and Cuba. Peralta cautioned that any agreement excluding prisoners like her would be "an absolute failure."

The interview occurs amid economic pressures on the Cuban regime resulting from sanctions implemented by the Trump administration. A source from the State Department confirmed to CNN that the administration has raised López Miyares' case with Cuban authorities, advocating for her release on humanitarian grounds.

Alina López Miyares' Dire Situation

Peralta depicted his mother's circumstances as dire. "The last thing she communicated to me is that the situation in Cuba is currently very difficult. There are frequent blackouts, but she is desperate to come home. She prays every day to return soon to Florida, back to the United States," he stated.

López Miyares, born in Cuba in 1959 and a U.S. citizen since childhood, was arrested at Havana's airport in January 2017. She was attempting to board a flight back to the United States when she received a setup call from her husband, who was in prison.

Unjust Sentencing and Health Concerns

In October of that year, the Marianao military court condemned her to 13 years for espionage, despite her civilian status. Her husband, former intelligence lieutenant colonel Félix Martín Milanés Fajardo, received a 17-year sentence in the same trial.

In July 2022, another military court granted her conditional release for good behavior and health issues, but barred her from leaving Cuba until 2030. However, in late 2023, coinciding with the arrest of former U.S. ambassador Manuel Rocha—accused of spying for Cuba for over 40 years—the family claims the regime returned her to custody at an undisclosed location, where she remains today.

Peralta also expressed alarm over his mother's health, as she suffers from at least two severe conditions that might necessitate surgery. Nonetheless, she is hesitant to undergo operations in Cuba due to the inadequate healthcare system. Furthermore, he indicated that the regime might be using her as a bargaining chip: "There have been subtle signals from my mother that the Cubans want something in exchange for her. It seems they might be trying to use her as a pawn."

Family Tragedies and International Pressure

The case has been marked by a series of family tragedies. Her father passed away in 2019 at the age of 97 while she was serving her sentence; her mother died in Miami in September 2022 at 94, unable to see her daughter free, and Cuba denied a humanitarian permit for López Miyares to attend the funeral. "She couldn't even witness the burial of either of her parents," her son recalled.

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention declared in 2022 that her detention was arbitrary and demanded her immediate release, a resolution that Havana ignored. Prisoners Defenders estimates that Cuba currently holds over 1,200 political prisoners.

"I love you. I miss you. And it's time for you to come home and be with your family," Peralta said when asked what he would say to his mother today, who has been detained on the island for nine years.