Wilmar Villar Mendoza

Wilmar Villar Mendoza (also written as Wilman) was a Cuban dissident. He was born around 1980.[1] He married Maritza Pelegrino Cabrales[2] and had two children.[3] He lived in the Contramaestre area of Santiago de Cuba.[2]

Biography

He was arrested in July 2011 after his mother in law alerted neighbors and police about a marital dispute involving domestic violence and charged for assault, disrespecting authority and resisting arrest.[4]

At some time between August and September 2011, he joined the Cuban Patriotic Union and worked on dissident activity. He participated in a public protest against the government.[5] In November of the year he was sentenced to four years in prison.[6][7][8] He was sent to Aguaderas prison in Santiago de Cuba.[5][6]

His wife Maritza Pelegrino attributed her husband’s political activism to anger over his father’s death in custody five years earlier, though she could not explain why he joined the movement only last year.[4]

According to the Wall Street Journal and other news organizations, Villar started a hunger strike soon after arriving at the prison. He was put in solitary confinement.[1] He was sent to Juan Bruno Zayas Hospital in January 2012 after suffering health problems. The Ladies in White and the CPU both had a vigil to support him.[5] In January 2012 he died. The government claimed he had multiple organ failure, pneumonia, and septic shock.[9] The hunger strike had lasted over 50 days.[7][8] Amnesty International designated Villar a prisoner of conscience, the announcement coming one day after his death.[10]

Representatives from the European Union and the governments of the United States and Spain made statements about his death, criticizing the Cuban government.[2][11]

The Cuban government stated he was not a dissident, but that he had been arrested for violence and injuring his wife at the 2011 protest. The government also stated he had not been on hunger strike.[4][9][12]

See also

References
  1. Cuban Dissident Dies After Hunger Strike, 2012 1 21, José de Córdoba, Wall Street Journal
  2. Obama lamenta muerte de cubano, Voz de América (Voice of America), 2012 1 20 (in Spanish)
  3. Cuban dissident Wilmar Villar dies on hunger strike, 20 Jan 2012, The Telegraph (UK)
  4. Cuban prisoner’s widow says he was arrested for domestic violence, blames government for death, January 20, 2012, The Washington Post
  5. Cuban authorities ‘responsible' for activist's death on hunger strike, Amnesty USA, 1 20 2012
  6. Cuban dissident dies after hunger strike By the CNN Wire Staff, updated 12:41 PM EST, Fri January 20, 2012, CNN.com
  7. Jailed Cuba dissident dies in hunger strike, Reuters, 2012 1 20
  8. Cuban hunger striker Wilmar Villar dies in jail, 20 January 2012, BBC
  9. Cuban gov't lashes out at criticism of alleged dissident death, January 20, 2012, Portia Siegelbaum, CBS News
  10. Associated Press (20 January 2012). "Amnesty says Cuba dissident who died on hunger strike a prisoner of conscience, names 3 others". The Washington Post. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
  11. World reacts to death of Cuban dissident Wilman Villar Mendoza, Juan Carlos Chavez, Miami Herald
  12. Cuba Strongly Condemns Manipulations of Recent Death of Convict, Radio Cadena Agramonte (Cuban government media), 21 January 2012
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