El Sexto Confirms from Jail His Hunger Strike

El Sexto Confirms from Jail His Hunger Strike / 14ymedio
Posted on August 28, 2015

14ymedio, Havana, 27 August 2015 – In a telephone call this Thursday,
artist Danilo Maldonado, El Sexto, confirmed that he is on a hunger
strike. From the Valle Grande prison he also referred to his mother,
Maria Victoria Machado, whom a State Security agent had told of his
"speedy release." The graffiti artist has made the announcement
cautiously because it is not the first time that "they have tricked him
with something like this," Machado told this daily.

On August 24, El Sexto's family waited outside the prison for hours for
his release. Days before, an official from State Security had reported
that date as the one on which he would be liberated. However, the prison
authorities denied that "an order or paper allowing him to leave" had
arrived. The graffiti artist advised that he would declare himself on
hunger strike, although until today his situation could not be confirmed.

Wednesday at the Office of Attention to the Valle Grande Jail
Population, Machado was assisted by an official who assured her that no
one in the penitentiary center was on hunger strike. However, on
exiting, relatives of other prisoners advised her that her son together
with other prisoners had begun a fast.

El Sexto recently received the International Vaclav Havel 2015 Prize for
creative dissidence, awarded in a ceremony organized under the framework
of the Oslo Freedom Forum which he could not attend because he was in
prison.

The artist has been imprisoned since last December on a charge of
contempt for having tried to carry out a performance with two pigs
painted with the names of "Fidel" and "Raul." Eight months after his
arrest he has not been taken before a court.

Translated by MLK

Source: El Sexto Confirms from Jail His Hunger Strike / 14ymedio |
Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/el-sexto-confirms-from-jail-his-hunger-strike-14ymedio/