Cuba: Detention and harassment of Alina Bárbara López and Jenny Pantoja highlight repression of critical voices
"There is no justification for the Cuban government to arbitrarily detain writers and activists to silence their work and peaceful expression. The global PEN community stands firmly against these unjust actions and urges the Cuban authorities to cease the harassment of those who courageously use their voices and art to speak out for their people." Romana Cacchioli, Executive Director of PEN International.
“Like many Cubans, Alina Bárbara Lopez Hernandez and Jenny Pantoja have fallen prey to the Cuban government’s repression against anyone who dares to challenge its authority, particularly intellectuals and academics.” Daniel Pedreira, President of Cuban Writers in Exile PEN Centre.
The harassment suffered by López and Pantoja is indicative of the Cuban government's continued use of its intelligence and police forces to target artists and stifle free expression," said Julie Trébault of the Artists At Risk Connection. "We stand in solidarity with these writers and all creatives on the island who work tirelessly to create an environment inclusive and encouraging of artistic freedom and peaceful protest.”
28 June 2024: PEN International, PEN Cuba in Exile, and Artists At Risk Connection (ARC) condemn the arbitrary detention of writers Alina Bárbara López Hernández and Jenny Pantoja, which exemplify the ongoing harassment and persecution of writers, journalists and artists in Cuba.
On 18 June 2024, prominent essayists, editors, historians and academics Alina Bárbara López Hernández and Jenny Pantoja were arbitrarily detained while travelling to Havana for their monthly peaceful protest against censorship by the Cuban authorities. López Hernández and Pantoja were detained for 11 hours at the La Playa police station in Matanzas, where they were interrogated and charged with 'attempt' to assault police officers in the line of duty. It is believed that both López Hernández and Pantoja were charged with a common crime aimed at limiting their activities critical of the government.
According to a video testimony that López Hernández released on CubaXCuba’ YouTube channel, when she asked for the reasons for her detention, the police physically assaulted her, throwing her to the ground, causing her to hit her head against the gravel. She was then dragged and forcefully pushed into a police car. During the struggle, López Hernández grabbed a policeman’s uniform, tearing part of the fabric, for which she is now being charged. During the detention, police warned of using greater force next time and threatened imprisonment.
In April, López Hernández was arbitrarily detained at the Bacunayagua police checkpoint on the way to the monthly peaceful protest in Havana. López Hernández reported being physically assaulted and forced into a patrol car after refusing police orders to return home. She was held incommunicado for several hours.
In 2023, López Hernández was sentenced for "disobedience", after refusing to attend extrajudicial summonses from State Security, believing they were illegitimate. Consequently, she was placed under house arrest. During the trial, the judge failed to clarify why she was summoned by State Security. López Hernández’s case was documented in PEN International Case List 2023/2024: War, Censorship and Persecution.
PEN International, PEN Cuba in Exile, and Artists At Risk Connection (ARC) urge the Cuban authorities to end the harassment and persecution of all independent writers, journalists, and artists targeted for peacefully expressing their ideas, engaging in their professional duties or participating in peaceful activism.
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