IACHR grants precautionary measures in favor of Luis Wilber Aguilar and his family in Cuba

January 31, 2025

Washington, DC – The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued Resolution 9/2025 on January 30, 2025, to grant precautionary measures in favor of Luis Wilber Aguilar Bravo Rivera and his family in Cuba, in the belief that they face a serious, urgent risk of suffering irreparable harm to their rights.

According to the request for these precautionary measures, the beneficiary has long protested and denounced human rights violations allegedly committed against political prisoners in Cuba, since his own son Walnier Luis Aguilar Rivera—an individual with disabilities who is himself a beneficiary of precautionary measures granted by the IACHR—was arrested.

Due to his protesting activity, Aguilar Bravo Rivera has been since 2022 subjected to constant State surveillance and repeated arrests, including stints where he was prevented from having contact with his family and suffered inadequate conditions of detention and repeated threats from officers of the State. The violence became more frequent and intense since 2024, including restrictions of his freedom of movement and freedom of expression. The State failed to provide information to the IACHR on this issue.

After assessing the legal and factual allegations made by the party who requested these precautionary measures, the IACHR considers that these events reflect persistent risks, even though various Cuban State authorities have been notified of the situations of both Aguilar Bravo Rivera and Aguilar Rivera. Consequently, in keeping with Article 25 of its Rules of Procedure, the IACHR asked the State of Cuba to take the following action:

1. Adopt any measures necessary to protect the beneficiaries' rights to life and personal integrity
2. Take any measures necessary for Aguilar Bravo Rivera to be able to do his work in defense of human rights without being subjected to threats, harassment, or any other acts of violence
3. Come to an agreement with the beneficiaries and their representatives concerning any measures that need to be taken
4. Report on any actions adopted to investigate the alleged events that gave rise to the adoption of these precautionary measures, in order to prevent such events from happening again in the future

The fact that these precautionary measures have been granted and their adoption by the State do not entail a prejudgment on a potential petition that may be filed before the inter-American system to allege violations of rights protected by the American Convention on Human Rights and other applicable instruments.

The IACHR is an autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS) whose mandate is based on the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. Its mission is to promote and defend human rights throughout the Americas and to serve as an advisory body to the OAS in this area. The IACHR consists of seven independent members elected by the OAS General Assembly who serve in a personal capacity and do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

No. 031/25

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