Playwright Yunior García will request political asylum in Spain

January 26, 2022

The playwright Yunior García, creator of the Archipiélago platform, which called for the failed Civic March for Change on November 15th in Cuba, cited as an example the exorbitant sanctions imposed on the island against those detained in the protests of last July 11th.

According to García Aguilera, the Cuban government has "excuses to, as soon as I set foot in the airport in Havana, take me to prison for 27 or 30 years, as they have done with other protesters".

That is why, with his 90-day tourist visa granted by the Spanish government about to expire, the Cuban activist has decided to file for political asylum.

In an interview with El País, García Aguilera assures that "the silence that has surrounded his life does not weigh on him", once the novelty of his sudden departure from Cuba has passed, at one of the moments of greatest tension in recent decades on the island, and of greatest expectation from the international community.

In statements made for Radio Martí, García Aguilera reaffirmed his point of view and said regarding those who, according to him, have criticized his decision to leave Cuba without communicating it to his Archipiélago colleagues: "I have to think, first, about the emotional stability of myself and my wife and also about how to serve my country in a more useful way. Obviously, right now I cannot return to Cuba".

The playwright, who resides with his partner in the popular Madrid neighborhood of Lavapiés, called on Cubans through his digital platform to march peacefully on November 15th last to demand a change in the country's political course.

Feeling in danger, García Aguilera decided to leave the country and departed for Spain.

"After my arrival in Madrid, they have closed my theater group in Cuba and fired the actors. My works are banned. The case against me remains open", he explained to the Spanish newspaper.

"Returning now is not a real possibility. It would be suicide", he concluded.