(CNN) — Cuban dissident José Daniel Ferrer has arrived in the United States after being freed from prison in Cuba, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday.

Ferrer was released and allowed to depart for the US after a formal request from the US government, according to the Cuban Foreign Ministry .

His family members were also able to depart, the foreign ministry statement said.

Ferrer reportedly said in a letter this month that he would accept exile rather than continue to be tortured in prison, after his brief parole was revoked.

“José Daniel Ferrer, a courageous leader of Cuba’s pro-democracy movement, arrived in the United States after suffering years of abuse, torture, and threats to his life in Cuba,” Rubio said in a statement Monday. “Ferrer’s leadership and tireless advocac

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