Activist Sirley Avila Arrives In Miami For Medical Treatment

Activist Sirley Avila Arrives In Miami For Medical Treatment / 14ymedio
Posted on March 10, 2016

14ymedio, Havana, 9 March 2016 — Sirley Avila Leon arrived in Miami on
Tuesday for medical treatment and to try to regain her mobility. The
activist, 56, was the victim of a brutal assault last May, which has
left serious wounds and forced her to use a wheelchair.

The trip has been organized by the Cuban Democratic Directorate in
coordination with the Commission of Municipal Women of Miami. The
patient will be treated at the Miami Medical Team Foundation, as
reported to14ymedio by activist Agustín López Canino.

Sirley Avila became known when, as a delegate to the People's Power from
the village of Limones in the municipality of Colombia, Las Tunas, she
staged a protest in 2013 to demand the reopening of a small school in
her district that the local authorities had closed because of the small
number of students.

Disagreements with the local authorities grew louder and the delegate
was sanctioned. From that moment, she strongly denounced the harassment
by State Security and collaborated with several opposition groups,
including the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU).

On 24 May 2015, after a discussion with Osmany Carrion, a worker on her
farm, Avila was attacked with a machete, which caused her the loss of a
hand, a broken collarbone and problems in both legs, among other
injuries. After several weeks in the hospital, Avila was discharged in a
delicate state.

Source: Activist Sirley Avila Arrives In Miami For Medical Treatment /
14ymedio | Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/activist-sirley-avila-arrives-in-miami-for-medical-treatment-14ymedio/