State Security detains independent journalist José Luis Tan Estrada

TheState Security of the Cuban regime detained the independent journalist this FridayJosé Luis Tan Estrada, whom he keeps arrested in the dungeons of his infamous headquarters, known asMarist Villa.

The complaint was made public by the Cuban activistYamilka Lafita, known on social networks as Lara Crofs, who received a call from Tan Estrada to inform him of her arrest while she was in Havana.

The independent journalist was already threatened by the regime's repressors, due to his publications critical of the situation in Cuba, and his complaints of neglect of vulnerable people by the authorities.

“My friend, the independent journalist José Luis Tan Estrada, just made a call to me from the State Security headquarters, Villa Marista. We couldn't talk much, he only told me that they stopped him entering Havana, that he has been there since 2pm and that it was only now that they let him make a single call to communicate," Lafita reported in apublication From Facebook.

According to the activist, Tan Estrada's arrest is part of the regime's strategy of repressing those activists and independent journalists who remain firm in their complaints from Cuban territory.

“The order is clear: do not allow people who they consider to have a high security profile to meet or leave their provinces, especially if it is in the direction of the capital,” said the activist.

The fear of independent voices of civil society has been exacerbated among Cuban leaders, who fear a new outbreak of protests like the one carried out duringthe historic days of July 2021 (11J).

So much so, that the leadership of the regimehas once again spread threats of long prison sentences, and even death, for those who commit the so-called crime of “sedition”, a new criminal figurefor which dozens of 11J protesters are already serving years in prison.

“The repressive wave against dissidents and independent journalists has been increasing in recent months. José Luis himself, so far this year, has been cited at least five times (by my count). In all of them they have threatened him, they have taken donated medication for children, and the last two summonses were less than 72 hours apart,” Lafita said.

Remembering the case of the teacherAlina Bárbara López Hernández, “who was arbitrarily detained, mistreated, violated and prevented from continuing her journey to the capital,” the activist asked to make Tan Estrada's detention go viral, because “we all know perfectly well what happens in those cells, the torture and psychological pressures.” to which the people who are transferred there are subjected.”

Tan Estrada, a case that worries the totalitarian regime

José Luis Tan Estrada is one of six human rights activists, relatives of political prisoners and journalists who met in Camagüey at the end of March todevelop a six-step proposal that they considered essential to save the Cuban people from the current economic crisis and free them from tyranny.

Among the measures are respect and support for peaceful demonstrations, the elimination of all barriers that slow down the economy and the release of political prisoners, as well as the cessation of any type of harassment, the appropriate use of state resources wasted on political repression and propaganda, the elimination of the Communist Party's control over the Constitution and the holding of truly democratic elections.

Among the signatories of the document is the independent journalist from Camagüey,Henry Constantin. The director of the independent mediaCuba Time, has also been a victim of regime repression on several occasions, including arbitrary arrests, such as last Octoberwhen I was trying to cover the trial of activist Anniette González.

Independent media contributorCubaNet, Tan EstradaHe was expelled in November 2022 from his job as a teacher at the Faculty of Languages and Communication of the University of Camagüey.

In one of his lastpublications on Facebook,referred to the Lenny Antony Rodríguez Pérez case, a child with advanced nasopharyngeal tumor in Camagüey who suffered abandonment by the health and education authorities of the province.

In mid-April,Tan Estrada was interrogated by State Security and fined by the Cuban Telecommunications Company (ETECSA) for his “likes to memes, comments, likes to other publications, shared memes” on social networks.

From his social networks, the professor also explained that it was his “second summons from the political police in less than 72 hours.” Before entering the interrogation, the man from Camagüey had to take off “everything he was wearing, except his pants,” because the officers wanted to search him “even his handkerchief.”

“I was assisted by the same police officer from Saturday, who told me that, a few minutes before, they had met with the community group in the area where I live, to inform them of my 'subversive activity,'” the young man said.

Likewise, he assured that a Telecommunications inspector fined him 3,000 pesos for violating Decree Law 370, used by the regime to silence activists, journalists and citizens in general.

The woman showed him “a folder full of my posts on Facebook, X (Twitter),likes to memes, comments,likes to other publications, shared memes, even some from last year. According to the inspector, 'likes to funny things against the leaders,'” he said.

In the previous summons, the repressors threatened to accuse him of crimes of “incitement, disobedience or contempt” if he continued his work as an independent journalist.

“The objective of the summons: to threaten me for the activities I carry out in the province regarding the issue of aid and to stop publishing on social networks,” he said on his Facebook profile.

At the beginning of February Tan EstradaHe was arrested and the donations that the young man had collected for people in need were confiscated..

In a post titled "Help: a threat to State Security" the reporter reported that the repressors detained him when leaving his house and "took away his cell phone and his backpack, in which he carried medications, mainly insulin, and donations." for children at the Pediatric Hospital".