Cuban academic Jenny Pantoja is dismissed from the university.

The University of Medical Sciences of Havana bid farewell to the Cuban academic and anthropologist Jenny Pantoja Torres, who was close to the intellectual Alina Bárbara López.

The Observatory of Academic Freedom reported that the professor was under contract at the Miguel Enríquez Faculty, and despite receiving a positive evaluation of her teaching performance, she was dismissed in an act that was described as "censorship" by State Security.

The note explains that days earlier the head of the Department of Marxism and History assured Pantoja Torres that he would not do without his services; but that this is all part of an academic censorship process, mediated by the pressure from State Security to get rid of uncomfortable intellectuals.

The Cuban anthropologist and historian holds a peaceful protest every month alongside López for the release of political prisoners on the island and in demand of structural and political changes.

She has been repressed on several occasions by State Security, which just eight days ago besieged her in her home in Havana for more than 48 hours.

An agent from that repressive body showed up at his home, preventing him from leaving for the rest of the day and today, without a court order.

Similarly, they set up a police cordon around his house with at least eight agents from the political police to prevent him from carrying out the peaceful protest he holds every 18th alongside Professor Alina Bárbara López.

"Today, July 18, marks a year since I started the monthly protests together with Alina B. López Hernández. One year ago today, I traveled to Matanzas for the first time with this objective," he wrote at that time on his Facebook profile.

A little over a month ago, Pantoja Torres and López Hernández were brutally beaten during an arrest as they were traveling from the city of Matanzas to Havana to carry out their usual protest.

Since then, Jenny Pantoja has been under a precautionary measure of house arrest, awaiting trial for the alleged crime of "assault."

The professor was also besieged in her home during the commemoration of the third anniversary of the July 11 protests (11J).