HRF condemns the detention of Cuban journalist @yoanisanchez in Havana amid a new crackdown against independent voices in the island. All democracies must call for the immediate release of Sánchez and all other journalists arbitrarily detained for exercising their profession and fundamental freedoms.
Yesterday, the Cuban regime arbitrarily detained Yoani Sánchez, a journalist and director of the independent news site @14ymedio. She was released after 9 hours, following a pattern of temporary detentions meant to intimidate dissidents. The work of Sánchez and her colleagues serve a fundamental purpose, as theirs is one of the very few independent outlets able to report from the island under tight surveillance and harassment.
Sánchez appears to be another victim of a broader crackdown against independent journalists in Cuba. On Nov. 3, Camila Acosta was also arrested and released later that night after being held incommunicado for almost 8 hours. The day before, CubaNet contributor Adelth Bonne Gamboa was arrested and later released, but was also fined, threatened with a prison sentence, and had his equipment confiscated.
Another independent journalist, Henry Constantín, was accused of “disobedience” and has been arbitrarily detained since Sept. 16. He was kept in an isolation cell for 15 days as punishment; his lawyers have denounced grave irregularities as he remains under precautionary detention.
