The Trump administration is demanding that Cuba release the son of an evangelical pastor from prison. Jonathan David Muir Burgos, a 16-year-old, was placed in a maximum-security prison after being accused of participating in protests earlier this year.
Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Riley Barns wrote on X that Tuesday marked “three months since 16-year-old Jonathan David Muir Burgos was sent to a maximum-security Cuban prison, supposedly for participating in a demonstration.”
“He urgently needs medical attention and has not received it. No person – especially no child – should be imprisoned for their political or religious views. We call on the Cuban regime to immediately release him and all unjustly detained political prisoners,” he wrote.
According to Amnesty International, the teen was charged with “sabotage,” a crime carrying a possible 15-year sentence.
“Jonathan reportedly suffers from dyshidrosis, a chronic skin condition that can cause severe dryness, cracking, and pain, and his family has said that his condition has worsened in detention due to lack of adequate medical care,” reads a letter from Amnesty International sent to Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel. “Recent public reports also indicate that his parents found him weak and emotionally distressed during a prison visit and that the family fears for his safety inside the prison.”
“His detention has drawn public concern because it appears to fit a broader pattern in Cuba of criminalising protest and dissent, including through the use of serious criminal charges against people accused of participating in demonstrations,” the letter adds.
