2024-05-03 20:12:16
The independent journalist, José Luis Tan Estrada, was released on Wednesday May 1 after being fined 4,000 pesos, and after being detained at the State Security headquarters, Villa Marista.
During his detention, Tan denounced inhumane conditions and coercion by the communist authorities.
José Luis Tan Estrada described his experience, highlighting that he was held in an isolation cell without natural light, subjected to constant interrogations and threats. According to his testimony, he was falsely accused of carrying a briefcase with stickers to hand out and urging people not to participate in May Day activities.
The independent journalist recounted the moment of his arrest at a checkpoint in Mayabeque, where he was approached by State Security agents.
“They told me that I was detained for the crime of mercenarism and false information,” he stated.
During the transfer to Villa Marista, he was threatened and forced to remain with his head bowed.
José Luis Tan Estrada described inhumane prison conditions, with poor food and lack of adequate medical care.
“The very bad food… I came in weighing 79 kg and now I weigh 77 and a half,” he said. In addition, he denounced the lack of basic hygiene.
The Cultural Rights Observatory (@CubaODC) confirms the #release by journalist José Luis Tan Estrada (@JLperiodista96).#LibertadDePrensaParaCuba pic.twitter.com/YmkHamrcOC
— Cultural Rights Observatory (@CubaODC) May 1, 2024
The interrogations were recurring and there were threats to make him abandon his journalistic work.
“One told me to leave the country, ‘that there you can be whatever you want, grow professionally,’ and the other told me to leave Cuba because they were going to make sure that I am nobody here,” he revealed in statements. for the independent media Cubanet, where he works.
Despite the pressure, Tan remained silent and resisted psychologically. “I felt very afraid and I thought they were going to leave me there… It is psychological torture,” she said.
The independent journalist concluded his story by denouncing the impunity of the repressors in Villa Marista. “One, who I think was a captain, told me, ‘you’re going to rot here, you worm,’” he said, underscoring the need to testify about human rights violations in Cuba.
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