University of Sancti Spíritus Professor Ariel Manuel Martin Barroso was recently sentenced to 10 years in prison for allegedly painting anti-government graffiti under charges that appear to be entirely politically motivated against his fundamental right to free expression. He was also not allowed contact with the outside world for five to six months following his arrest in early 2025, stripping him of basic due process and access to legal counsel. The Committee is concerned by the extreme and disproportionate nature of this sentence, which serves as severe political retaliation meant to silence dissenting voices in Cuban academia.
March 4, 2026
Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez
President of the Republic of Cuba
Hidalgo Esq. 6
Palacio de la Revolución
Paseo de la Plaza de la Revolución
CP 10400,
La Habana, Cuba
E-mail: despacho@presidencia.gob.cu
Phone: +53 7 827 3334
X: @DiazCanelB
Dear President Díaz-Canel:
The Committee of Concerned Scientists is an independent organization of scientists, physicians, engineers, and scholars devoted to the protection and advancement of human rights and scientific freedom for colleagues all over the world.
We are writing in regard to Ariel Manuel Martin Barroso, Professor at the Faculty of Technical and Business Sciences at the University of Sancti Spíritus. In February 2025, he was detained for allegedly painting graffiti against the government, resulting in a combined sentence of ten years in prison at “Nieves Morejón” handed down in September 2025. Following his detention, he was held incommunicado for up to six months, a severe violation of due process and basic legal rights. Normal legal procedures and international standards for a fair trial were entirely disregarded during his prolonged, unacknowledged detention.
The Committee is concerned by the extreme and disproportionate nature of a ten-year prison sentence for the act of painting graffiti. The decision to hold Prof. Martin incommunicado for months demonstrates a blatant disregard for fundamental legal protections and raises serious fears regarding his treatment, well-being, and lack of access to his family and legal counsel during that time. This severe punishment has the unmistakable appearance of political retaliation, designed to make an example of an educated professional and instill fear in academic circles. There is a deeply troubling, recurring pattern of the Cuban state against those who express dissenting views. The severe sentence at a maximum-security prison with a known history of unsanitary, inhumane, and abusive conditions is not commensurate with the alleged crime of painting graffiti while suffering from grief at the death of a loved one.
We write to urge your government to reconsider his case as a violation of human rights and academic freedom, particularly in relation to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which Cuba is a signatory, and to release him immediately. Even the appearance of political retaliation against an academic professional should concern your government.
Thank you for your attention to this serious matter. We will be closely following developments in this case.
Sincerely,
Joel L. Lebowitz, Walter Reich, Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Alexander Greer
Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists
CC:
Marco Antonio Rubio
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520, USA
Phone: (202) 647-4000
X: @SecRubio
Mike Hammer
Chargé d’Affaires of the United States to Cuba
United States Embassy – Cuba
55 Calzada
La Habana, Cuba
Phone: +53 7 839 4100
X: @USEmbCuba
Lianys Torres Rivera
Chargé d’Affaires of the Republic of Cuba to the United States
Embassy of the Republic of Cuba
2630 16th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009, USA
E-mail: recepcion@usadc.embacuba.cu
Phone: +1 (202) 797-8518