With a new decree handed down by the Castro dictatorship criminalizing independent journalism, State Security agents have begun a crackdown on Cubans who practice journalism outside state-run media. Several independent journalists have had to flee the island after State Security agents summoned them for questioning, the typical start of a Castro campaign of harassment and intimidation, which historically ends with prison sentences for the offenders.
The Committee to Project Journalists reports that eight Cuban journalists have left the island after the persecution began:
CPJ is alarmed by reports that since mid-September, Cuban state security agents questioned at least eight journalists and media workers from non-state media outlets, many in connection to alleged crimes against the state, leading several to flee the country.
“The Cuban government appears to be engaged in a campaign of harassment and intimidation against the country’s non-state media to force them into silence or exile,” said Katherine Jacobsen, CPJ’s U.S., Canada, and Caribbean program coordinator, from Washington, D.C. “CPJ calls on the Cuban authorities to respect the rights of journalists to freely express themselves and report the news.”
Cuban news website El Toque, which operates from exile, reported that the journalists were summoned as part of investigations into accusations that the journalists engaged in “mercenary” activities, including receiving foreign funding in violation of state security. If convicted, the journalists face prison sentences of 4-10 years.
CPJ confirmed eight cases of journalists being questioned and is investigating more than a dozen others. Four journalists publicly confirmed they were summoned and questioned by Cuban authorities.
Censorship and the oppression of journalists who defy the State and report the truth is not a bug of socialism, but a feature.