Photo: Mike Hammer meets with relatives of political prisoners in Holguín. Source: Mailín Sánchez/Facebook.
Cubalex warns of a new wave of repression in Cuba, aimed at preventing members of independent civil society from meeting with Mike Hammer, Chargé d'Affaires of the United States Embassy in Havana.
Following our exchanges with activists, peaceful opposition members, and relatives of people imprisoned for political reasons, we have documented a pattern of harassment that includes summonses, threats, arbitrary detentions, and incommunicado detention. These actions are intended to intimidate those who denounce the regime's abuses and to obstruct direct contact with international actors.
On May 16, activist Juan Luis Bravo Rodríguez was summoned by State Security in Guantánamo. During the interrogation, agents asked him if he planned to meet with the U.S. diplomat. This summons, as we have denounced, is a clear example of surveillance and intimidation.
Two days later, on May 18, in Holguín, police officers Idelsys Pupo Labrada was violently arrested, mother of the 11J political prisoner William Leyva Pupo, and they forced her into a patrol car to prevent her from attending the meeting with Mike Hammer.
According to the Mailin Sánchez's complaint, The wife of political prisoner Yosvany García Caso —who did manage to meet with the US diplomat—, said that Pupo Labrada's arrest had the sole purpose of hindering her participation in the meeting.
On May 19, in Puerto Padre (Las Tunas), A police operation was deployed in front of the home of activist Vladimir Martín Castellanos. Both he and his wife were arrested and held incommunicado to prevent them from meeting with the diplomat. In that same town, former political prisoner Ezequiel Morales Carmenate He reported constant surveillance in front of his home..
Days earlier, on April 29, activist Librado Linares was arrested While en route to Santa Clara to participate in a meeting with Hammer, he was taken to a State Security unit and subsequently placed under house arrest.
These events reflect a deliberate strategy by the Cuban regime to block international actors' access to key testimonies from victims of human rights violations. This is part of a systematic pattern of repression aimed at isolating civil society, hindering independent oversight, and keeping state mechanisms of persecution and control hidden.
Since arriving in Havana in November 2024, Mike Hammer has maintained an active schedule of meetings with various sectors of Cuban civil society. These meetings include activists, opposition members, relatives of political prisoners, religious leaders, and independent journalists. The main objective is to listen to their experiences, document the situation on the ground, and reaffirm the United States' commitment to defending human rights and democracy in Cuba.
Despite criticism from the regime, which accuses him of interfering in internal affairs, Hammer has reiterated his intention to continue these meetings and to continue supporting those who work for a freer and more democratic future for Cuba.