US Secretary of State meets freed Cuban dissident in Washington

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a meeting with Cuban political dissident Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia in Washington, DC on Wednesday, shortly after the activist's release from imprisonment in Cuba. The State Department confirmed the closed-door meeting at its headquarters, where Rubio expressed solidarity with the Cuban pro-democracy movement.

US Support for Cuban Dissidents

According to an official statement, Secretary Rubio praised Ferrer's "courage and resilience" in confronting what he described as oppression and brutal treatment by Cuban authorities. The top US diplomat reaffirmed Washington's commitment to supporting Cuban citizens' pursuit of democracy and fundamental freedoms, emphasizing that advocacy by Ferrer and other dissidents remains crucial to the island's political opposition movement.

Ferrer's Release and Background

Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia, who had been imprisoned multiple times including for his role in the 2021 protests, departed Cuba on Monday following a formal request from the US government. The Cuban government clarified that Ferrer's release and subsequent exile resulted from an exhaustive evaluation of his legal situation by prosecutors, describing it as a case-specific decision rather than a general policy change.

Continued US Commitment

The State Department statement indicated continued US support for efforts promoting accountability for human rights violations in Cuba. The meeting signals ongoing American engagement with Cuban opposition figures despite diplomatic tensions between the two countries, maintaining Washington's longstanding criticism of Cuba's single-party political system.