Cuba

CPJ called on authorities to refrain from sentencing freelance journalist Lázaro Yuri Valle Roca to prison, to drop all charges against him, and to release the journalist, who has been held for more than a year in pretrial detention.

Over a dozen human and civil rights organizations have called for the immediate release of Cuban artists Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Maykel “Osorbo” Pérez, who stood trial on May 30 and 31 on trumped-up charges and have been detained since the summer of 2021.

“Maykel Castillo Pérez and Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara are being prosecuted for exercising their human right to criticize their own government” – HRW.

CPJ is alarmed by the passage of Cuba’s new penal code, which further criminalises the work of independent journalists on the island by banning foreign funding and puts their existence and sustainability at dire risk.

“A review of the charges against both artists makes it clear that they are being targeted for their peaceful exercise of their right to free expression.”

“Abel Lescay is a brave and talented musician who should never have been in jail in the first place (…) His sentencing is a very worrisome development in the Cuban government’s relentless crackdown on artistic expression…”

A proposed amendment to the penal code is risking criminalizing funding for independent journalists and media organizations.

Salvadoran authorities should continue providing support to Cuban journalists Esteban Rodríguez and Héctor Luis Valdés, and Cuban authorities should cease forcing journalists into exile.

“We are extremely concerned by the brutal assault on journalist Mabel Páez, and the suspicious circumstances surrounding it,” said CPJ. “It is imperative that Cuban authorities thoroughly and transparently investigate this violent attack and bring those responsible to justice.”

The work being done by these collective groups represents a beacon of hope for Cuba, and the entire region – IACHR

In the two months since historic mass demonstrations swept through Cuba on July 11, drawing national and international attention to the island’s deteriorating sociopolitical conditions, there have been at least 39 documented arrests of artists related to the protests, four of whom were subjected to trial without a jury.

The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the enactment of new telecommunications regulations in Cuba that will further censor information on the island, and called for their immediate repeal.

One month after the massive protests in Cuba on July 11, we as human rights organizations reiterate our concern over the government’s repressive response. This response has resulted in serious human rights violations against protestors and further polarization among different segments of the population. It has also made dialogue and openness to listening to and addressing social demands impossible once again.

Cuban authorities should immediately and unconditionally release all detained journalists, stop disrupting internet access in the country, and allow the press to cover protests freely.

The undersigned organisations condemn the Cuban government’s repression of the citizen protests registered since 11 July 2021 and which continue to date.

“It can be no accident that nearly 50 independent Cuban journalists lost internet service on the same day,” said CPJ. “Cuban authorities must ensure that [ICLEP] employees have full access to the internet and can carry out their work without interference.”