From our Bureau of Socialist Tolerance, Compassion, and Social Justice with some assistance from our Busy Times at the Ministry of Fear Bureau
Castro, Inc. has had more than it can take from pesky independent journalists who dare to reveal what is really going on in Castrogonia. Three independent news agencies have been hit hard: CubaNet, Periodismo de Barrio, and El Toque, all of which have reporters who have been subjected to arrests, psychological torture, harassment, threats, and also the confiscation of phones and cash. Such a lovely country. Yeah, sure . . . come on down tourists! This utopia needs your support.
Loosely translated from CubaNet
Reporters and activists have recently denounced a new wave of repression on the island targeting collaborators of independent media outlets. The latest reports indicate that several journalists have been threatened, interrogated, forced to resign from their work, and to return sums of money allegedly received from training programs or collaborations with international media.
Journalist María Lucía Expósito, one of the victims who publicly denounced this harassment, explained that she was subjected to more than six hours of interrogation, during which her cellphone and 1,000 USD were confiscated. “Psychological violence, sanctioned by the state, uses the Penal Code as an instrument,” Expósito stated in a post shared on her colleague and friend Lisbeth Moya’s profile.
In addition to economic extortion, State Security has forced interrogated journalists to sign statements admitting they received funds from “subversive” projects, thus fabricating evidence against them. In some cases, they are coerced into publicly renouncing independent journalism and recording their confessions on video, according to the victims, as reported in an editorial by El Toque this Friday.
These methods, according to observers, aim to discredit journalists and independent entities and lay the groundwork for possible criminal charges against them. There is concern that the videos obtained during interrogations will be used in television programs to discredit the victims, following the pattern of media harassment used in the past.
CubaNet, Periodismo de Barrio, and El Toque have been particularly affected. Several contributors from these three media outlets have publicly reported harassment and pressure, leading some to resign to avoid further reprisals.
In the past few hours, resignation messages from journalists have appeared on social media, all identical: “Through this post, my wife, Annery Rivera Velasco, and I, Yennys Hernández Molina, declare our resignation from collaborating with and/or participating in any independent media or project deemed subversive or contrary to the interests of the Cuban government,” Hernández Molina posted.
Shortly after, journalist Yadira Álvarez Betancourt also announced her “resignation” in a post identical to her colleagues’.
CubaNet reported on Thursday that several of its journalists and collaborators residing on the island have been victims of repressive actions led by regime authorities, including threats, intimidation, brief detentions, and confiscation of work equipment and money.
Journalists were threatened with long prison sentences or harm to their families if they continued their work. The repression did not stop at verbal threats: several CubaNet reporters have also been filmed against their will under coercion and after hours of psychological torture, according to their statements.
These repressive actions are part of a growing wave of harassment against independent journalists and dissidents in Cuba, a country where free journalism is punished.
On Friday, October 4, the Social Communication Law approved by the regime came into force. The law has been criticized as a new tool for Cuban authorities to restrict freedom of expression and access to information.
Since its approval, journalists and various non-governmental organizations have pointed out that the law will tighten restrictions on independent digital media in Cuba, which will continue to be unrecognized by the regime and whose journalists are subjected to harassment and threats of imprisonment by authorities.
“It’s ironic that the new Social Communication Law comes into effect just as the repression against freedom of expression in Cuba intensifies,” wrote entrepreneur Katia Sánchez Martínez on Facebook. “In recent days, several journalists, communicators, and entrepreneurs have suffered interrogations, abuse, seizures, and threats, evidencing attacks on any form of independent expression. Today is a sad day, but this doesn’t end here,” the young woman also stated.