HRF condemns the Cuban regime’s systematic violations of the rights of dissidents and calls for the immediate release of the content creators from the independent media outlet El 4tico, who were arbitrarily detained for exercising their fundamental right to free expression.

This week, the Cuban regime imprisoned Ernesto Ricardo Medina and Kamil Zayas Pérez, two content creators for the outlet El 4tico, under charges of “propaganda against the constitutional order,” after they posted content that criticized the regime and called for change on the island, as repression and extreme poverty continue to rise.

Journalists and dissenting voices in Cuba face constant harassment as the regime seeks to intimidate and silence them. Two weeks ago, journalists Henry Constantin and Alejandra García were temporarily disappeared by security agents, in another instance of one of the regime’s most common persecution tactics.

There are currently more than 1200 prisoners of conscience in Cuba. Many of them face severe risks to their mental and physical integrity and are subjected to inhumane conditions and torture in detention. All democracies must demand the immediate release of all those imprisoned under politically motivated charges for exercising their fundamental rights.