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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HAVANA 017683 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE DEPT FOR WHA/CCA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/01/2016 
TAGS: PHUM KDEM SOCI CU
SUBJECT: CUBAN FARINAS ENDS HUNGER STRIKE AFTER SEVEN MONTHS 
 
REF: HAVANA 16901 
 
HAVANA 00017683  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Classified By: COM Michael E. Parmly for Reason 1.4(d). 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: Cuban dissident Guillermo Farinas ended his 
hunger strike August 31 after surviving on IV fluids for 
seven months in a campaign for internet access for all 
Cubans.  The independent journalist decided to end the hunger 
strike following a joint appeal by three leading women 
dissidents.  He has started drinking water and juice. 
Doctors do not expect him to make a full recovery.  The 
campaign received international press attention, boosted 
awareness of the Cuban Government's nearly absolute control 
over internet access, and inspired dozens of other activists 
to stage solidarity fasts.  Our calls to Farinas on August 31 
were cut off immediately by Cuban authorities.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (C) Cuban independent journalist Guillermo Farinas halted 
his seven-month hunger strike at 12:01 am August 31, 
following an appeal by three leading women dissidents.  Days 
earlier, the lead doctor attending to Farinas at Santa 
Clara's Milian Castro Hospital had warned him that he could 
die within a week.  The diagnosis was seconded by dissident 
Dr. Hilda Molina, who along with activists Martha Beatriz 
Roque and Bertha Antunez convinced Farinas to call off the 
hunger strike before it was too late.  Farinas, who launched 
the campaign after GOC authorities cut off his access (and 
that of other independent journalists) to an internet 
facility in Santa Clara, repeatedly threatened to die for his 
cause.  The action prompted dozens of other activists, 
including political prisoners such as Dr. Oscar Biscet, to 
stage solidarity fasts of their own, some for as long as two 
weeks.  Roque and other dissidents characterized Farinas' 
decision to discontinue the hunger strike as a personal favor 
to them. "We couldn't bear to see him die, although he was 
ready to go all the way," Roque said. 
 
PHONE LINE CUT 
-------------- 
 
¶3. (C) We spoke three times with Farinas August 31, using a 
complicated conference-call system with a sympathetic 
activist in Santa Clara, but as soon as Poloff identified 
himself, the line was cut.  "State Security," explained the 
Santa Clara activist, if any explanation were necessary. 
According to Roque, Farinas' mother and our Santa Clara 
contact, Farinas drank water and later a little juice on 
August 31, causing him to hiccup.  His headaches continued 
and he is still battling a staph infection, among other 
ailments.  Although he is once again orally receiving 
nourishment - rather than only IV fluids, which kept him 
alive since January 31 - his survival is not a given. 
Permanent physical damage has already been done, doctors 
said, and it is possible that he will not recover.  Farinas, 
director of Cubanacan Press, will remain at the hospital for 
the foreseeable future. 
 
ADMIRED IN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMUNITY 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) Farinas, a charismatic Afro-Cuban, is widely admired 
in the human rights community.  In addition to his 
unauthorized reporting activities, Farinas operates the 
Roberto Avilo independent library in Santa Clara (300 km/185 
miles east of Havana), and belongs to the outlawed Cuban 
Liberal Party.  Although his hunger strike did not prompt the 
GOC to ease its nearly absolute grip on internet access on 
Cuba, it did receive broad coverage from international media, 
thus increasing awareness of the Cuban people's lack of 
freedom of speech and press.  We circulated widely on August 
31 a digitized photo of an artist's rendering of Farinas' 
hunger strike. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶5. (C) Farinas, a former Special Forces soldier, was wounded 
in Angola and was positioned to receive preferential benefits 
and privileges.  Only Farinas knows why he joined the 
opposition, why he has waged 20 hunger strikes, and why his 
current campaign reached the end of the line.  Farinas' 
mother made it clear that the family was contacting a number 
of Western governments to see if they would accept Farinas as 
a refugee.  (To our knowledge, none did. USINT Havana did not 
receive any such request.)  We believe that the Cuban 
authorities did all they could to prevent Farinas from 
becoming a martyr.  His death could have sparked protests 
across the island and generated considerable sympathy 
overseas. 
 
HAVANA 00017683  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
PARMLY