Pompeo Calls On Cuban Government To Release Prominent Dissident Jose Ferrer - Letter

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th February, 2020) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday sent an open letter to his Cuban counterpart Bruno Eduardo Rodriguez Parrilla in which he called for the release of prominent dissident Jose Daniel Ferrer.

"The United States government joins a chorus of international voices demanding Ferrer's immediate release," Pompeo wrote in the letter.

The US secretary of state also noted that the United Nations, European Union and the Organization of American States have also urged the Cuban government to release Ferrer.

Pompeo said Ferrer has been unjustly imprisoned for more than 100 days and accused Cuban authorities for dragging, beating and chaining the dissident.

"The current spurious charges against Ferrer follow a familiar pattern of harassment, violence, and arbitrary arrests against Cubans who seek only to advocate for democracy and the political and economic freedoms that would enable the Cuban people to create prosperity in Cuba," Pompeo said.

The United States will continue to supporting human rights defenders in Cuba and hold the government accountable for abuses, Pompeo said.