Imprisoned Cuban dissident goes into exile in US

A brief ministry statement says Ferrer Garcia and his family have left the Communist-run country

Cuban dissident Jose Daniel Ferrer, founder of Cuba's National Patriotic Union (UNPACU) opposition group, speaks with Reuters during an interview at his home in Santiago, Cuba Apr 8, 2025. REUTERS

One of Cuba's best known dissidents went into exile from prison on Monday, the Cuban Foreign Ministry said, headed for the US at the Trump administration’s request.

A brief ministry statement said Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia, 54, and his family had left the Communist-run country.

“The departure, bound for the United States, follows a formal request from that country's government and Ferrer Garcia's express acceptance,” the ministry said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanded in July that Havana prove Ferrer was alive.

"The Cuban Regime continues torturing pro-democracy activist Jose Daniel Ferrer. The United States demands an immediate proof of life and the freedom of all political prisoners,” Rubio stated on social media.

Ferrer founded an opposition group called the National Patriotic Union, or Unpacu, in 2011, closely aligned with Miami-based exiles. He had been in and out of prison ever since.

The opposition activist was last arrested in April for violating the terms of his parole just three months after his release from jail as part of a Vatican-brokered deal.

Ferrer, who lived in eastern Santiago de Cuba, has maintained that he was wrongly jailed by Cuban authorities from the start.

Cuba has long accused the US of underwriting Ferrer's dissidence in a bid to overthrow the island's government.