Summary
The communicator Adelth Bonne was violently detained on November 2 in Havana and received a fine of 3,000 Cuban pesos under Decree-Law 370.
The sanction was imposed under article 68, paragraph i), of Decree-Law 370, which penalizes the dissemination of information considered contrary to the «social interest».
Cubalex has warned that the ambiguity of this provision allows the authorities to arbitrarily sanction critical opinions and generates a chilling effect on freedom of expression.
The Cuban state continues to use Decree-Law 370 to restrict and criminalize the exercise of freedom of expression on the internet. The most recent case is that of journalist Adelth Bonne, who on Monday, November 2, 2026, was violently arrested when he was leaving his home in the Santo Suárez neighborhood, in the municipality of Diez de Octubre, in Havana.
According to reports circulating about the arrest, police officers handcuffed him tightly, put him in a patrol car, and beat him after he shouted «Down with the dictatorship!» He was later taken to the Cerro police station.
Once there, the Territorial Control Office of the Ministry of Communications (MINCOM) in Havana He imposed a fine on him of 3,000 Cuban pesos for disseminating on the internet «information contrary to social interest, good customs and the integrity of people», according to the administrative resolution that was given to him after his arrest.
The document applies subsection i) of article 68 of Decree-Law 370, approved in 2018 and in force since July 4, 2019, under the title «On the computerization of society in Cuba».
To establish the sanction, the administrative authority claimed to have taken into account «the importance and seriousness of the violation committed and its consequences, the concurrent circumstances, the significance and the intention of the perpetrator.».
Bonne has 15 business days to file an appeal with the director of the MINCOM Territorial Control Office in Havana.
So far in 2026, Cubalex monitoring has documented at least three other cases of the application of this regulation against opponents such as Eliannis Villavicencio Jorge, David Espinosa y Yurisnel Domenech.
The application of this provision once again demonstrates how Cuban authorities use administrative mechanisms to punish expressions disseminated on digital platforms, especially those that question government policies or denounce the situation in the country.
An ambiguous decree that facilitates the criminalization of critical opinions
Cubalex has repeatedly warned about The risks that Decree-Law 370 poses to the exercise of fundamental rights in Cuba, particularly due to the ambiguous wording of its article 68, paragraph i).
This provision considers it an offense to «disseminate, through public data transmission networks, information contrary to social interest, morality, good customs and the integrity of persons.».
The regulation does not define with sufficient precision what type of information can be considered contrary to «social interest» or «good morals.» This lack of clarity leaves a wide margin of interpretation for the officials responsible for applying it and allows legitimate expressions, opinions, and citizen complaints to be subject to administrative sanctions.
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In 2020, Cubalex and other civil society organizations and independent media outlets warned about the escalating repression against journalists and civil society actors for disseminating their opinions on social media.
At that time, the organizations documented that at least 30 people had been subjected to interrogations, threats and confiscation of work equipment, while another 20 had received fines of 3,000 Cuban pesos for internet publications.
The statement also warned that failure to pay these fines could lead to criminal proceedings and penalties of up to six months' imprisonment, a threat that contributed to increasing the pressure on those exercising freedom of expression.
Cubalex pointed out at the time that Decree-Law 370 had an inhibitory effect on the individual and collective exercise of this right, due to the constant threat that any statement could be arbitrarily classified as a violation and subsequently lead to imprisonment.
International organizations have also expressed concern about this legislation. In its 2020 report on the human rights situation in Cuba, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) warned that Article 68 of Decree-Law 370 could establish a censorship regime and serve as a tool to punish the independent press. The Commission also questioned the proportionality of the sanctions provided for, including fines and the confiscation of equipment used to access the internet.
Restrictions incompatible with international human rights standards
Article 54 of the Cuban Constitution recognizes that the State must respect and guarantee freedom of thought, conscience, and expression. Article 55, for its part, recognizes freedom of the press, although it conditions its exercise on the law and the aims of society.
However, these guarantees are limited by provisions that allow the State to restrict expressions that it considers contrary to its interests.
Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes the right of everyone to freedom of opinion and expression, which includes seeking, receiving and imparting information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
In addition, Article 19 The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights establishes that everyone has the right to freedom of expression and that any restrictions must be expressly provided for by law and be necessary to protect legitimate aims, such as the rights or reputation of others, national security, public order, public health or morals.
The use of vague concepts such as «social interest» and «good morals» to sanction publications, without establishing clear and predictable criteria, does not satisfy the international standards of legality and necessity that restrictions on this right must meet.
The case of Adelth Bonne demonstrates that the warnings issued by Cubalex and other organizations since 2020 remain relevant.Decree-Law 370 continues to provide authorities with a tool to punish online expressions, while people exercising their right to express opinions, inform, and denounce face fines, arrests, threats, and other forms of harassment.
Cubalex reminds us that freedom of expression also protects opinions and information that may be uncomfortable, critical, or contrary to the authorities. The State has the obligation to respect and guarantee this right, not to use ambiguous administrative regulations to punish those who question its actions.