Journalist José Luis Tan Estrada, a contributor to CubaNet Noticias, was arrested He was arrested on Friday, April 26, in Havana and has been detained ever since at Villa Marista, the State Security operations center. His arrest occurred around 2:00 p.m., as he was traveling from Camagüey, where he lives, to the Cuban capital.
Tan was forcibly disappeared until 9:00 p.m., at which time he was allowed to make a phone call and was able to report that he was being held at Villa Marista. Since then, no further information has been received regarding his legal status or his health.
The journalist has faced increasing repression for his work as a freelance reporter and his humanitarian efforts in the province of Camagüey. During the month of April, he has been cited and questioned He was arrested twice by the police, fined under Article 370 for his social media posts, and has had his internet access restricted. Previously, he was arrested, threatened with physical assault and harassed on social media.
Cubalex's lawyer, Alain Espinosa, told CubaNet Noticias that the journalist's detention is illegal and arbitrary, noting that he has been held for 72 hours without authorities informing him of the charges against him or the reasons for his arrest. Furthermore, no details have been provided about his current conditions of confinement at Villa Marista.
Espinosa also pointed out that the lack of transparency regarding the journalist's legal situation and the conditions of his detention hinders his access to justice and creates an environment conducive to the journalist being subjected to cruel and inhuman treatment.
The situation of journalist José Luis Tan Estrada highlights serious and worrying problems regarding freedom of expression and human rights in Cuba. Tan's detention, who was arrested while traveling to another province and subsequently held in enforced disappearance, illustrates a common practice of intimidation and control by State Security.
His detention in Villa Marista, a place known for its history of torture, inhuman and degrading treatment, underscores the severity and gravity of the reprisals against him for practicing journalism independently.
Villa Marista has been rated as a torture center by the people who have been detained there, where they have faced extensive interrogations, threats, and humiliation. Recently, opposition member Ramón Jesús Velázquez, who spent a month and ten days in detention there, described the conditions as harsh: the lights in the cells are never turned off, detainees are given three small meals a day, and they are not allowed to receive food from their families during visits. Furthermore, the designated sunbathing area is located on a latticed roof, littered with cigarette butts and lacking benches. The guards distort the perception of time by providing incorrect times and refer to detainees by numbers instead of their names.