Interviews with Ariel Sigler Amaya

The government, in my opinion, has failed in one aspect: they were not able to control technology. Technology that didn’t exist before now provides reliable evidence of what is really happening in Cuba. All these things have been damaging the morale of the Cuban Regime, because information about wrongful arrests, beatings in and out of prison, and beatings of peaceful protesters has been leaked.

With all this software and technology, the regime has found itself in a difficult situation. They have lost strength because the world can now see what is happening. The Cuban regime’s political morale is practically lost. The world has seen that a communist regime is not viable. A change is needed, and they are aware of it, but they don’t know where to start. They know that if they allow certain liberties, they will lose power. A dictator does not hand in his weapons or power — we must take it from him.

So they are now in the same position as other countries in the world where people go out to the streets to protest. This is what Cubans are waiting for. So yes, they have had their weaknesses and losses because I remember the international support used to be much greater than it is now. This is mainly due to Cuba’s being demonstrated as one of the countries in the world where human rights are least respected.

Since you can’t choose your president, you can’t demand your rights, express your ideas, or disagree; you end up going to jail without having committed a crime. It is incredible, and I speak from experience. I recently came from Cuba and I know how the system works. They have put a policeman, fear, terror in every Cuban´s head. What they do is beat and arrest the person next to you so you think twice before going against the regime.

Ariel Sigler Amaya was a teacher and an accomplished amateur boxer in his native Cuba. After he began speaking out in favor of democratic reforms, he became one of the 75 dissidents arrested in the Black Spring of 2003 and was convicted of having acted “against the independence or territorial integrity of the state.” In prison he suffered torture and other forms of ill treatment.

By the time of his release in 2010, Sigler’s weight had gone down from 205 to 117 pounds. Once in excellent physical shape, he suffered from a variety of medical conditions resulting from his treatment in prison and his friends and family members feared he was near death. After arriving in the United States, he gradually began regaining his strength and began walking with a cane instead of using a wheelchair.

Sigler remains a vigorous advocate of freedom and democracy, not only for his fellow Cubans but also for others living in countries with totalitarian and highly authoritarian governments around the world.