A CUBAN formerly imprisoned at HMP Dodds says he has turned his life around and is eternally grateful to the people of Barbados for helping him.
Raul Garcia, who spent 20 years in jail for a cocaine trafficking conviction, had languished in the prison system for some time after his sentence ended because his birthplace, Cuba, had refused to accept him, while the United States, where he and his family had migrated and held residency status, also declined to take him back because of the drug conviction.
In 2013, Garcia won his freedom after attorney and rights advocate David Comissiong took his case to the High Court where Justice Margaret Reifer ruled it unlawful to continue detaining Garcia even after he had served his sentence.
After a period of negotiation, Cuba agreed to accept Garcia who, by then, had spent several months in a restricted accommodation here provided by the state before a Barbadian family took him in until his immigration status was resolved. (GE/PR)
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