Summary
Yoan Arévalo is in serious condition at the Jóvenes del Cotorro prison in Havana, according to his mother's social media posts.
The family says that Yoan is vomiting and defecating blood, without receiving medical attention or the medication he needs.
Yoan and his brother Yosvan Arévalo Álvarez have been detained since June, after participating in peaceful demonstrations in Barbosa, Playa municipality, Havana.
Political prisoner Yoan Arévalo is in terrible health conditions in the Jóvenes del Cotorro prison - known as Ivanov - in Havana, according to denounced her mother on social media.
According to the family's complaint, Yoan is vomiting and defecating blood, But he has not been transferred to a hospital and is not receiving the medical attention or medication he needs.
The mother of the political prisoner said that prison authorities told her that Yoan would be transferred to Calixto García Hospital, in Havana. However, that transfer has not taken place and the young man remains detained at Jóvenes del Cotorro despite his worsening health condition.
The reported situation is especially worrying due to the nature of the reported symptoms and the absence of a hospital medical evaluation, according to the information available.
Arrests made after protests in Barbosa
Yoan Arévalo and his brother Yosvan Arévalo Álvarez They were arrested along with other people last June, in the context of the peaceful demonstrations that took place in the Barbosa neighborhood, Playa municipality, Havana, after more than 30 hours of blackout.
Cubalex documented that authorities deployed riot police to disperse the protest on June 19 and confirmed the arrest of the Arévalo brothers, along with others. The organization also received information that one of them had suffered severe injuries after his arrest.
More than three months after those arrests, Yosvan remains in custody in Toledo and Yoan in Jóvenes del Cotorro..
Legal advice: How to document violations of the Mandela Rules for lack of medical care?
The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, known as Mandela Rules, They establish minimum standards to guarantee dignified conditions of confinement and place respect for human dignity at the center of the treatment of people deprived of their liberty.
In Regarding health matters, Rules 24 to 35 They establish that the medical care of persons deprived of their liberty is the responsibility of the State and that they must have access to health services equivalent to those available in the community. Rule 27 further establishes that prisons must guarantee immediate access to medical care in urgent cases Prisoners requiring specialized treatment or surgery must be transferred to specialized institutions or civilian hospitals. Furthermore, clinical decisions are the sole responsibility of healthcare personnel and cannot be disregarded by prison officials.
To document a possible violation of these guarantees, family members and lawyers should record, to the extent possible, What illness or symptoms does the detained person have, since when, how frequently and severely, what medications have been prescribed and which have not been delivered, as well as each request for medical attention made and the response received by the authorities.
It is also important to record the date on which a supposed hospital transfer is communicated, the hospital to which the patient was indicated to be transferred, and whether that transfer ultimately took place. In emergency situations, Any delay or refusal to transfer the inmate to a hospital facility must be specifically documented.
The Rule 31 It stipulates that medical personnel must have daily access to sick individuals or those exhibiting health problems, and that medical examinations must be conducted confidentially. Rule 34 It stipulates that, when health professionals detect signs of torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, they must document and report them to the competent authorities, following safeguards that prevent exposing the prisoner or other people to reprisals.
Therefore, when there are complaints of Denial of medical care, lack of medication, unjustified delays in hospital transfers, or participation of healthcare personnel in disciplinary measures that may harm health, It is important to preserve available photographs or videos, messages and audio recordings from family members, records of requests, responses from authorities, medical prescriptions, clinical reports, and any other document that allows for establishing a verifiable chronology of events. The identity and role of the officials or professionals who received the requests or were involved in the care should also be recorded, provided that this information can be obtained securely.
In the case of Yoan Arévalo, the complaint about vomiting and bloody stools, the lack of medical attention and medication, and the failure to transfer to the Calixto García Hospital must be documented with special precision, due to their incompatibility with the guarantees of timely access to medical care provided for in the Mandela Rules.
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