Cuba: Government authorities crack down on activists and journalists during the G77+China Summit

Association

Escalating attacks against civil society during the G77+China Summit

Human rights organisations denounced state security forces for targeting activists and journalists during the G77 + China Summit that took place in Havana on September 15th and 16th. During that month, the Cuban Observatory for Human Rights (Observatorio Cubano de Derechos Humanos, OCDH) reported at least 318 acts of repression, most of which were against activists and political prisoners, including 88 arbitrary detentions. Throughout the summit week, Cubalex documented 134 acts of repression, which included police surveillance that often started a day before the event.

In this context, the authorities suppressed civil society by placing the Citizen Committee for Racial Integration (Comité Ciudadano por la Integración Racial, CIR) members under house arrest and interrupting their mobile data. Lázaro Rolando Kessel and Ángel Moya Acosta, as well as Yanet Martínez, Félix Modesto Valdés, Guillermo “Coco” Fariñas Hernández, Diasniurka Salcedo, Pedro Quiala, Carlos Milanés, María Cristina Labrada and Berta Soler experienced a similar situation.

As previously documented by the CIVICUS Monitor in 2022, there are serious concerns about the obstacles faced by activists in Cuba. Notably, on 28th September 2023, a report submitted by the United Nations Secretary-General brought to light a concerning series of acts of intimidation and reprisals against Juan Antonio Madrazo Luna and Marthadela Tamayo González of the CIR:

Expression

Ongoing arbitrary detentions and harassment of independent journalists

Cuban authorities have maintained persistent pressure on journalists, as previously documented by CIVICUS Monitor.

On 15th September, at the beginning of the G77 + China Summit, state security agents arbitrarily detained journalist Henry Constantín Ferreiro, the director of the media outlet "La Hora de Cuba" and the regional vice president for Cuba of the Inter-American Press Association’s Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information. He was released a few days later, on 19th September. This is not the first time the journalist has been targeted by the police.

A few weeks before, he was also detained. On 4th September, the National Revolutionary Police detained Henry Constantín Ferreiro and José Luis Tan Estrada, an independent journalist from "Diario de Cuba", when they attempted to cover the trial of activist Lenelis Delgado Cué at the Municipal People’s Court in Camagüey. Both journalists were released later the same day.

As mentioned before, the arbitrary detention of Henry Constantín Ferreiro took place in the context of a broader crackdown on journalists during the Summit, with at least 9 journalists being targets of harassment and intimidation. For example, state security agents interrogated Neife Rigau, an independent journalist of “La Hora de Cuba” after she took cleaning products to Henry.

On 17th September, the Coalition For Women In Journalism issued a statement calling on authorities “to immediately cease the harassment of journalists and take proactive measures to ensure their ability to carry out their duties without fear of reprisal.”

Report reveals alarming repression of freedom of expression and journalism by state authorities

The Office for Mexico and Central America's Article 19 has published its first semester report for 2023, which highlights the grave state of freedom of expression in Cuba. Independent journalists who use digital spaces and public platforms to exercise their rights continue to face repression, which has persisted and intensified.

“These actions, primarily coordinated by the State, exhibit a systematic nature. Arbitrary detentions of journalists, house arrests, and harassment have been the most frequently employed tactics. These aggressions are reinforced by a restrictive framework that infringes upon fundamental freedoms and overlooks international commitments.”

Peaceful Assembly

Report on the massive protests in Cuba

On the second anniversary of the anti-government protests across Cuba on 11th July 2021, the organisation Justice 11J (Justicia 11J) issued a report denouncing that the social, economic and political conditions have not changed. Despite the intensification of repression, people continued to protest throughout 2022 and 2023.

The report documented 1,558 people detained during multiple protests between the 11th of July 2021 and the 9th of July 2023, with 681 still detained. This group comprised 1,323 men, 228 women and 7 non-binary individuals. Among those detained were 121 activists, human rights defenders, religious figures, opposition members and leaders. Most of those detained (1,427, accounting for 92%) do not belong to any political or civil society organisation or collaborate with any media outlet.

According to the report, “the State continues to harass and attack the families of protesters and political prisoners for demanding their release and defending their innocence. The most common repressive measures against them are interrogations, police surveillance and threats to extend the sentences of their imprisoned relatives.”