The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed its deep concern about the increase in repression in Cuba, after receiving reports that State Security agents have intensified interrogations of independent journalists and non-state media workers.
Since mid-September, at least eight journalists have been questioned for alleged crimes against the State, which has forced several of them to leave the country in search of safety.
CPJ US, Canada and Caribbean program coordinator Katherine Jacobsen warned of a “campaign of harassment and intimidation” by the Cuban regime against non-state media, with the aim of silencing them or forcing them into exile.
Jacobsen called on the Cuban communist authorities to respect the right of journalists to express themselves freely and report on the situation in the country.
One of the media most affected by this escalation is El Toque, a Cuban news site that operates from exile. According to this media, the journalists have been summoned for their alleged participation in “mercenary” activities, including the alleged receipt of foreign funds, a crime that in Cuba can carry prison sentences of up to ten years.
CPJ confirmed that four journalists were recently questioned: Jorge Fernández Era, a columnist for El Toque, was questioned twice, while María Lucía Expósito was detained for more than six hours and money and her cell phone were confiscated. Alexander Hall and Katia Sánchez, both linked to independent media, were also interrogated. Sánchez, threatened with prosecution for receiving foreign funds, left the country on September 13.
Repression in Cuba has intensified after the entry into force of a new social communications law, which prohibits independent media. This legislation comes after the anti-government protests of July 2021, which were repressed with severe measures against those who reported the events.
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