In the first days of June 2026, Cubalex documented New incidents of harassment against independent journalists in Cuba, in a context marked by the use of criminal mechanisms, surveillance and police summons to intimidate and limit the exercise of freedom of expression and of the press.
One of the most alarming cases is that of the Cuban writer and former political prisoner Ángel Santiesteban Prats, who He alleged that the authorities are trying to fabricate a criminal case against him. for allegedly exchanging $200 on the informal market, money intended for the Llansó National Masonic Asylum, a charitable institution administered by the Masonic Board.
Santiesteban was formally charged and placed under house arrest following an audit of accounting records related to donations sent by Freemasons, primarily from Miami, to cover the needs of the nursing home. According to the writer, the audit involved officials from the Technical Investigations Department (DTI) of the Ministry of the Interior (MININT), representatives from the Ministry of Public Health and the Registry of Associations of the Ministry of Justice, among other state agencies.
“I haven’t made a statement [to the police] yet, but I didn’t exchange the dollars. What I did was substitute money,” Santiesteban stated, rejecting the accusation of having carried out an “illegal” currency exchange operation outside of state channels. According to his statements, the auditors did not detect any discrepancies in the funds reviewed.
The case again demonstrates the uThe use of common crimes as a mechanism to prosecute and criminalize people considered critical or inconvenient for the Cuban State, a recurring practice to try to depoliticize repression and hide the arbitrary nature of the legal actions taken against opponents, journalists and activists.
On June 8, the harassment of independent journalists Camila Acosta and Anay Remón, both linked to the media outlet, also continued. CubaNet. Acosta denounced surveillance outside his home in Havana, while Remón was summoned by the National Revolutionary Police (PNR). However, the appearance did not take place because, according to the explanation received by the journalist, the officer in charge “had a flat tire on his motorcycle.”.
That same day, the editor of the newspaper 14yMedio, Yoani Sánchez, he warned Regarding the presence of surveillance in the basement of his building in Havana, another recurring pattern used by Cuban authorities to intimidate and limit the movements of independent journalists.
Also recently, journalist Yania Suárez was arrested and released On June 8, and although he has not yet provided details, he stated that the accusations against him will be referred to the Havana Provincial Prosecutor's Office. Suárez has been denouncing for months that a foreign neighbor residing on the island illegally installed a generator in the shared garage of their Havana building. Not only the The case has not gone unpunished; instead, the State has decided to criminalize her for her complaints about it.
More incidents against the independent press in May
Other incidents of harassment The previous month included a act of repudiation against journalist Yeris Curbelo outside his home in Caimanera, Guantánamo, on the same day he was released from political imprisonment. He and his wife, Odalis Legrat, were beaten.
Similarly, internet outages were reported for independent reporters in May, especially on May 1st and 20th., significant dates on the island and with a marked history of repression in previous years.
Cubalex condemns these repressive acts directed against journalists, writers, and independent media workers for the legitimate exercise of their informative and critical work. The actions described constitute forms of intimidation incompatible with the international obligations of the Cuban State in the area of human rights, particularly with the protection of freedom of expression, freedom of the press and the right to participate in public affairs without suffering reprisals.
These practices also violate fundamental rights such as personal liberty, privacy, freedom of movement, and due process guarantees. The use of surveillance, arbitrary summonses, threats of criminal prosecution, and disproportionate precautionary measures demonstrates the persistence of a systematic pattern of persecution against the independent press in Cuba, aimed at generating fear, self-censorship, and isolation among those who document and denounce the reality of the country.