Former prisoner Alexander Verdesia Rodríguez describes torture, hunger and neglect in Cuban detention

An audio testimony introduced on the podcast 'Cuba en la hora del cambio' presented a message from Alexander Verdesia Rodríguez, identified by the host as a three-time political prisoner held in a maximum-security facility in Bayamo, Granma province. The host said the recording shows significant physical deterioration.

In his recorded remarks, Alexander Verdesia Rodríguez told listeners that political prisoners and common inmates face torture, insufficient food and inadequate medical care. "A nosotros, los presos políticos, sí se nos tortura... La mayoría de los reclusos mueren... en la prisión provincial, mueren por negligencia médica," he said in the recording introduced by the program.

José Daniel Ferrer framed the testimony as a rare and risky message produced from within 'la prisión de las mangas' and said it represents the experience of numerous detainees. Ferrer said the testimony illustrates broader claims that the regime is responsible for hunger, misery and the denial of basic rights across the island.

Ferrer also mentioned other cases of academic repression, naming Jenny Pantoja and Alina Bárbara López and saying that both remain under arbitrary legal processes. The program did not include responses from Cuban authorities, independent medical reports, or prison officials; the claims in the recording rest on the testimony and the host’s characterization.

The testimony prompted calls in the audio for national reconciliation "con justicia," but the recording and program did not identify any immediate legal or monitoring follow-up steps. The program closed urging continued solidarity with prisoners and with Cuban civil-society voices that demand democratic transition.