Statement from the Garrido sisters

María Cristina Garrido Rodríguez and Angélica Garrido Rodríguez.

Relatives of the prisoners and non-relatives, all brothers and sisters:

We are deeply moved by the expressions of affection, by all the solidarity, and by the hard struggle that has been waged and is being waged for the release of all political prisoners; all of them, because although some are more visible than others, and this is due to particular circumstances of the families, not of the prisoners, we know very well that we are all equal; none is greater than another.

Brothers and sisters, we will never underestimate your struggle! It is a just, worthy, selfless, and pure battle. I beg you, therefore, by the mercy of God, not to misunderstand the following:

We, the Garrido sisters, ask—if we have the right to ask for anything—that before demanding our freedom, you first demand and fight for the freedom of our homeland. This is what we want: for the homeland to come first, and then us. Furthermore, simply demanding the freedom of Cuba is enough; that alone suffices. Luis Rodríguez knows this; we asked him to do so. You will judge whether he has done so or not (regardless of the profound pain involved).

Brothers and sisters, we judge no one, we point fingers at no one. Everything is confusing, there is much pain involved, we are growing up. But we march for Cuba; for her, we are imprisoned; for her, we were tortured like animals and by animals, without mercy or care; for her, we have been and are tortured with skill, with refined technique; for her, we are willing to die.

We beg you, we insist, by the Father's mercy, not to misinterpret our position; we don't want to hurt anyone, nor do we want to be judged as ungrateful. Brothers and sisters, this is not pride, it is not division, it is not about standing out like a cold, artificial light, nor about appearing now as champions of freedom; we are not the discordant note, nor the extremists, nor the black sheep of the flock; we are your sisters, we are ordinary Cuban women; yesterday we were one person, today we are another, tomorrow? God knows; may we be more mature, more consistent.

Make no mistake, we are not seeking fleeting, foolish fame. Not a million likes on Facebook or other social media are worth a single tear shed by our children! Do we really think little of our parents' deaths from grief? It is simply a matter of being consistent: First, out of respect for our ideals, the ideals for which all those from July 11th are imprisoned. On that day, no one shouted "Freedom!" for themselves; the cry was for everyone and in the name of everyone. Now that we are imprisoned for the freedom of all, do we expect the script to change? We are not sorry, we are proud!

Brothers and sisters, the Cuban people erupted in their need for freedom. We ask you, did anyone march for the Garrido sisters? Will the Cuban people march for the Garrido sisters? Of course not! Another uprising will come, that's for sure; just as it's certain they will, and this time definitively. Now, why will it happen? For the prisoners? We don't think so! At least, given the current circumstances, it won't be for us, the prisoners of today (not even after the Bahía Honda massacre did that people march). But when there are brave people who organize, who stand up, who take risks, who champion the CAUSE of all (not that of any one person in particular), then, the miracle can happen. The most important thing is the cause for which we are imprisoned, not the prisoners themselves.

Talking about us, about all the prisoners, is beautiful, heartbreaking, impactful, attracts a lot of sympathy, brings tears to our eyes; because it is something very cruel, very unfair (we are talking about a very acute pain, a pain without a name); but, somehow, focusing only on this, it results in a shooting star; it will not be the fatal blow.

Second, we hold this position out of respect for those who fight for our long-awaited freedom and do not have family members imprisoned; primarily, those on the island who, by sheer miracle or political expediency of the Tyranny, are still not incarcerated. We ask ourselves: Are we superior to them because we bear a greater burden of suffering? That may be acceptable in romantic movies and novels, but everyone who goes into battle has equal dignity! Or is the dignity of warriors dictated by the path of a bullet? Everyone who goes onto the battlefield is worthy! And we believe it is inconsistent to fight and chant slogans for our wounded brother when facing the cruel enemy, the enemy who wanted and wants to kill us.

Third, for the prisoners and the families of those who will come after them. It is a fact: today, many weep for their prisoners; tomorrow, other families will do the same. Because, let no one doubt it, Cuba will never cease to have its prisoners in droves, and Cubans will never cease to fight! God has already passed judgment on this satanic system and government, the father of lies and murderers.

This proclamation is about raising awareness, uniting us in the same, greater cause. The cause that, if successful, will forever banish mourning from our homes. If this makes someone feel ashamed, how wonderful! It means there are still Cubans who feel shame, Cubans who are maturing, Cubans who are growing, Cubans who are learning, Cubans who are "with everyone and for the good of all."

We are convinced that those who defend us will again defend the prisoners who will come after us; and then those who will come after; and so on. We are convinced that they will. But what would end this endless litany of suffering, created by groups and groups of prisoners year after year? We all know: Freedom! What is better, the swift and professional presence of a Red Cross army in the face of a disaster, or preventing the disaster altogether?

It's true, Cuba is in mourning! Cuba is in mourning, yes! And not only for its political prisoners, because the entire island is in mourning. We are only a little more imprisoned than the rest of the people, that's all, a little more imprisoned, nothing more. Today, we see daily: children dying from inadequate or nonexistent medical care, elderly people dying the same way, building collapses that kill everywhere, there is atrocious hunger, hopelessness, violence, and so much loss of identity that Cubans see exile as a triumph, as paradise, as the goal to achieve. Brothers and sisters, believe me, there are worse things than prison! Cuba is no longer Cuba! If anything, Cuba is like us, just another prisoner, just another tortured victim!

Brothers and sisters, our country, our land, our homeland, Cuba, is not only in mourning for the Garrido sisters, nor for the noble Jorge and Nadir, nor for Warnier, who, we've been told, has a father like Maceo; it is not only in mourning for the exquisite child of the great Ailex Marcano, nor for the gallant Andy, who has an unwavering family; it is not in mourning for Ktivo, who, with his courage, seems to want to shame us all. Here we have the photos of everyone! We asked Luis for them, they tore them up; he brought them back, they took them away, and he brought them back again! We have printed sheets with the stories of many. Cuba is not only in mourning for Lazara Karenia, whose soul they want to tear out—I mean, her newborn baby; it is not only in mourning for Pupo, who has a wife with sad eyes and a voice of steel; nor for the husbands of Delany and Sailycita (admirable warriors); Not for Adriam, the partner of the romantic Roxana; nor for our giant sisters in prison: Lisandra Góngora, Mariuska, Aimara Nieto, La Noguera, nor for Jany, from San Antonio de los Baños, the land that gave birth to 11J. How many are missing! So many are missing! Why did we mention names? We don't want to hurt anyone! Cuba isn't only mourning the children of Migdalia, Farrat, Yudinela, Lisset, and Milexis. So many are missing! The children of Niurka and Taboada; nor for the sublime Sisi Abascal, nor the young twins from Placeta, nor for Sayli Navarro and her courage, greater than herself. My God, so many are missing! From right here, from this prison, we haven't even mentioned them! Forgive us! Forgive us! We don't want to hurt anyone; pride is vain! Those I mentioned are nothing; we are nothing without you! Enough with the sentimentality, with these irrelevant emotions. Cuba is in mourning for the tugboat 13 de Marzo, for the massacre on the Canimar River, for Zapata, for those executed, for those who refused to cooperate, for the "Black Spring," for those who have nothing to eat, for the children without milk or hope, for the young people who have been subjected to emptiness; Cuba is in mourning for the pigsties—I mean, the hospitals; it is in mourning for the fat bellies of those who represent the people and the bakeries without bread, the butcher shops without meat; it is in mourning because a package of detergent costs a retiree's monthly salary!

For the third time, we repeat: Do not judge us unfairly, do not judge us cruelly; we beg you, in the name of the Lord. There will always be those who do; Martí knew it; Martí told Gómez when he proposed going to war: "You can only count on the ingratitude of the Cubans." We count on the dignity of the Cubans, on your dignity!

We will learn to love Cuba, our homeland, its freedom. We, the political prisoners, the freedom fighters, all the patriots, don't have a job on a temporary basis or a temporary contract; we don't fight for a while, we don't sacrifice ourselves for a while, and then go off to enjoy ourselves! NO! To be brave is to put aside any self-interest and bear the burdens of others. We are not cold, insensitive, nor do we take lightly the heartbreak, the psychological torture, or the difficulty of each individual case; we only want to help you hone your aim, so that the unleashing of all that courage is deadly. We want that courage to be directed against those who repress, whip, and imprison all our people; this has been the case throughout history, the bravest, the truly indispensable, are those who fight for their people, until death encloses them in its cocoon, or until FREEDOM EXPLODES.

CUBA IS IN MOURNING, FOR ALL CUBANS!!!

May God bless them.

Signed: María Cristina Garrido Rodríguez and Angélica Garrido Rodríguez; Slaves of Freedom of Cuba; members of the Republican Party of Cuba.

Note: María Cristina Garrido Rodríguez is the National Executive Director of the Republican Party of Cuba.