In 2001, he and his wife, a dentist named Lisandra Lafitta Hernández, signed "Manifiesto 2001", which called for basic freedoms to be respected in Cuba.
(meta data) TITLE: Dr. Luis Milan Fernandez abused in prison; health deteriorates - Cuba Politics News - Havana Journal (meta data) AUTHOR: HavanaJournal.com Cuban Cigars Cuba Photos ## Cuba Politics News # Dr. Luis Milan Fernandez abused in prison; health deteriorates Posted June 28, 2007 by Cubana in Cuba Human Rights Email this article | Print this article | Search Havana Journal By BosNewsLife News Center with reporting from Cuba HAVANA, CUBA (BosNewsLife)— Pro-democracy activists, including Christians, remained behind bars Wednesday, June 27, in Communist-run Cuba, amid fresh concerns about their health because of alleged prison abuses. In statements obtained by BosNewsLife dissidents and family members said they remained particularly concerned about the plight of Dr. Luis Milan Fernandez and fellow pro-democracy activist, independent journalist Pedro Arguelles Moran. Dr. Milan's health has deteriorated because of apparent abuse by fellow inmates, while Moran has been denied medication for his ailments, dissidents told BosNewsLife. Dr. Milán Fernández is forced to share a cell with two or three mental patients who are suffering a variety of disorders, including…schizophrenia and depressive neurosis… Penal authorities follow a pattern, changing his cell mates, sometimes leaving him alone, at a psychiatric ward of the Prison of Boniato, in Santiago de Cuba Province. The physician is a member of the Independent Cuban Medical Association (Colegio Medico Independiente de Cuba) and was detained after he and his wife, a dentist, signed a document titled 'Manifiesto 2001,' calling, among other measures, for the recognition of fundamental freedoms in Cuba. ONE-DAY HUNGER STRIKE They also carried out a one-day hunger strike to call attention to the medical situation of detainees and other rights issues. He was arrested and tried summarily on April 4, 2003 on charges of "disrupting internal order, destabilizing the country and destroying the Socialist State and the independence of Cuba", and sentenced to serve 13 years in prison. Dr. Milan, 37, was a very healthy man before being imprisoned, but now suffers from several ailments including a tumor in the left humerus, loss of hearing, hypertension and an enlarged liver, dissidents said. He has refused to undergo medical procedures saying he does not trust the medical personnel in the prison. His wife, Lisandra Lafitta, said that during her latest, June 12, prison visit, she found that her husband had lost weight and has a deep dark color under his eye circles. The unbearable heat in his cell and the erratic and unruly behavior of his fellow inmates including one who recently cut off one of his own ears prevents him from getting enough sleep or rest, she said. It is impossible for him to read or write and he is unable to look outside of the cement blinds in his cell, she said. He can smell and hear the rain but he is unable to see it fall… INDEPENDENT JOURNALIST Independent journalist Pedro Arguelles Moran also suffers health problems but prison authorities refuse to allow him the prescribed medications he requires, dissidents said. His wife, Yolanda Vera Nerey, was quoted as saying that her husband had to carry out a hunger strike in prison this month for 72 hours demanding that prison authorities hand him the anti-acid tablets brought to him by his family which were prescribed by his doctors. Vera Nerey added that her husband is practically blind and suffers from other ailments. Moran, 59, is the director of the Ciego de Avila Independent Journalists Cooperative, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison during the Cuban government crackdown of March 2003 on dissidents. He is serving his sentence in the prison of Canaleta, more than 400 kilometers (250 miles) east of the capital Havana in the province of Ciego de Avila. Cuban leader Fidel Castro has denied human rights abuses and the existence of dissidents saying those detained are either mercenaries of the United States or against his revolution. CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS News of the alleged prison abuses against the detained dissidents come amid reports that a prominent Cuban group has launched a campaign to push for constitutional reforms that would allow democratic elections and greater respect for human rights. The campaign is the latest in a series of calls for political and economic changes by opposition groups on the island since Cuban leader Fidel Castro fell ill almost 11 months ago and temporarily handed over power to his younger brother, Raul. The latest push for change is led by Oswaldo Paya, a dissident with close ties to the Catholic Church, who five years ago gained international notoriety by gathering 25,000 signatures calling for a referendum on civil liberties that became known as the Varela Project. Hundreds of dissidents, many of them Christians, are believed to be in prisons across the island. #### Would you like to add more information? Only members can add more information. Please register or log in We recommend this AirBnB Food and Drink Experience... Cuban flavors: Food, Rum and Cigars ##### Images of Cuba ###### Categories Castro's Cuba Cuba Human Rights Cuban History Oswaldo Paya US Embargo Yoani Sanchez ###### Related Pages Politics Directory Politics Forum ###### Marketplace BUY CUBAN CIGARS Cuban Birth Certificates Cuba Consulting Cuban Items For Sale ###### Follow Havana Journal SUBSCRIBE to our Cuba Watch newsletter LIKE us on Facebook FOLLOW us on Twitter CONNECT with us on Linked In ###### Section Archive Member of the Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy Real Estate in Cuba Legal Travel to Cuba Cuba Chamber of Commerce
dev01967
Luis Milán Fernández
Abstract.
Luis Milán Fernández (born 21 February 1970) is a Cuban physician from Santiago de Cuba.