Related videos:
The Cuban Deputy Director of MINREX for the United States, Johana Tablada de la Torre, justified the repression in the Island against journalists based on the alleged funds they receive from foreign governments to carry out their work.
"In Cuba and around the world, it is illegal and punishable to receive funds from a foreign government that threatens a sovereign country," said the official on her official Twitter account.
"The United States approved only in 2019, 20 million, part of which is allocated to hired workers labeled as 'opposition' by the U.S. embassy," he added.
The words of Tablada de la Torre come as a response to the Cuban entrepreneur Camilo Condis, who questioned Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla on the mentioned social network when he spoke of acts of barbarism, repression, and violations of Human Rights by the United States.
"If you want to talk about violations of Human Rights, if you want to discuss illegal actions, undermining our constitutional order, and violations of Cuban laws, talk about how a woman is being prevented from leaving her own home and her country," said Condis.
In response to the official from MINREX regarding Condis, many journalists have voiced their complaints on social media and have even called for her expulsion from that institution.
"We are calling for the immediate resignation of Johana Tablada, Deputy Director for the United States at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba. The official, whose salary we all pay out of our own pockets, has justified the house arrest of the 14ymedio journalist, Luz Escobar," said journalist Yoani Sánchez.
Tablada asserts that the independent reporter is among those receiving funds from the U.S., although she provides no evidence to support her claim. Since Escobar has not been judged in a court and is not being prosecuted under the current Penal Code, the official's words constitute defamation and a violation of the ethical code and conduct that should govern the behavior of a diplomat and any representative or official, the journalist added.
This month, Cuban journalist Luz Escobar has been prohibited from leaving her home in Havana with her minor children on three occasions, without any justification.
On November 15, several independent journalists and Cuban activists were confined to their homes by State Security agents to prevent them from going out during the celebrations for the 500th anniversary of Havana.
Many journalists, activists, and artists are subjected daily to arbitrary detentions, repression, and harassment. The most notable case this year was that of Cuban journalist Roberto de Jesús Quiñones Haces, who was sentenced to a year of imprisonment for the alleged crimes of “Resistance and Disobedience.”
Filed under: