Jessica Lisbeth Torres Calvo

Jessica Torres Calvo is a Cuban graffiti artist, tattoo artist, and model. For years she has dedicated herself to portraying Cuba’s daily life on her body through tattoos and on the walls of Holguin, her birthplace, through graffiti. Protest aesthetics became her hallmark and, according to her relatives, there was nobody in her town who wasn’t aware of Jessica’s work.

On July 11, 2021, Jessica joined the historic demonstration for freedom in Cuba, she took to the streets to shout “homeland and life” and demonstrate peacefully along with thousands of young people; when the protest became aggressive, she raised her voice to exclaim “let us not throw stones, we are better than them.” That night she returned home with her mother, unaware that she had been part of the “History,” in capital letters, of her country.

On July 17, her ordeal began: State security agents came to her house to supposedly talk to her. However, and despite not having a warrant, they took her to the criminal investigation unit in Holguin to interrogate her for her participation in the 11J protests. She was accused of inciting violence.

For 24 days she was detained and isolated in a cell. No one from her family could communicate with her and, although they hired a lawyer, their efforts were in vain. At that point she was found guilty on the charge of disorderly conduct and was only able to be released on bail. 

In November, Jessica learned that she had been formally charged with the crime of sedition, a much more serious offense under the new Cuban Penal Code, and the prosecution requested a 27-year prison sentence. In addition, she was falsely accused of abandoning her son, then six years old, to engage in sex work.

Between January 9 and 13, 2022, the trial against Jessica Torres Calvo was held in the court of Holguín. “Never in my life have I seen so many state security agents,” said one of her relatives who attended the proceedings in the hope that justice would prevail and that Jessica would go free.

On February 14 of that same year, they came to Jessica’s house to pick her up. They put her in a patrol car and took her, without prior notice, straight to a women’s prison. She had been sentenced to 15 years in prison for the crime of sedition. The authorities did not even take into account that the sentence ratified her release on bail as long as she could appeal. 

Since then she has been in prison in Holguín and her health remains stable although she has problems with her foot. Every 15 days she can receive visits from her family and, although her relatives claim that she has not been mistreated there, Jessica became another one of the “voces presas” (incarcerated voices) in Cuba for speaking out. 

Her only crime was, as in the case of hundreds of young people on the island, to portray the daily life of her homeland, to opt for a different aesthetic, and to take to the streets to demand democracy, justice, and freedom.  

Currently, Jessica is still imprisoned. So far, she has served three of the 10 years she was sentenced to. She remains in the same women’s prison.

Since February 2024 Jessica has only been allowed to leave the prison to visit her family four days a month. Although Jessica is allowed to communicate with her family members, Jessica continues to be imprisoned for her artivism. In November 2024 she will be eligible for parole.

Jessica’s relatives would like to thank everyone who in one way or another has supported them and cared about political prisoners.

Published on November 14, 2023 | Updated on July 23, 2024