The Cuban journalist Mario J. Pentón responded strongly to recent statements made by Johana Tablada de la Torre, the Deputy Director General for the United States at the Cuban Foreign Ministry, who falsely accused him of participating in a press conference held in Miami by the U.S. Ambassador to Havana, Mike Hammer.
Pentón, who was in Spain at the time of the event, described Tablada's statement as a "blatant lie" and posted a video in which he refuted point by point the accusations made in the pro-government program Con Filo, a space that often defames critical voices against the Cuban regime.
"The detail is that I was thousands of kilometers away from Miami," said Pentón, asserting that at the time of the conference he was on vacation in Madrid and, in fact, he was at Barajas Airport, where he ran into former Cuban spy Fernando González Llort, president of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP).
Moreover, he rejected being part of the State Department's payroll, as Tablada claimed. “I work for the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which has editorial autonomy,” he clarified. He took the opportunity to denounce that while he responds to Cubans with actions, the regime's spokespersons, such as the official herself or the host of Con Filo, Michel Torres Corona, only repeat what is dictated by the Ministry of the Interior (MININT).
Pentón also publicly challenged the diplomat to accept interviews with independent media and diaspora outlets, such as Univisión, Telemundo, or El Nuevo Herald, reminding that she "spends more time in the United States than in Cuba."
Concerns are growing within the Cuban regime over Mike Hammer's open diplomacy
The dispute between Pentón and Tablada is set against the tense atmosphere felt in the headquarters of the Cuban regime due to Hammer's diplomatic agenda, which is causing significant concern in Havana.
Since his arrival on the Island in November 2024, Hammer has maintained an active schedule of meetings with opponents, independent journalists, religious leaders, and families of political prisoners, which has caused noticeable discomfort within the state apparatus.
The Cuban regime has intensified its verbal attacks against Hammer, accusing him of promoting the “destabilization of the country” through his support for members of civil society.
In the most recent broadcast of the government-aligned program Con Filo, the host dedicated a lengthy segment to discrediting his work, labeling it as cynical and accusing him of being an emissary of Washington's "suffocation policy."
In an article published on the official site Cubadebate, Tablada de la Torre herself naïvely accused Hammer of lying about the failure of the "revolution".
Despite the criticism, Hammer has continued to publicly share his agenda on the Island, including visits to political prisoners, religious temples, and civic spaces, which the Cuban regime has interpreted as a direct provocation.
This diplomatic confrontation occurs amid an already tense relationship between both countries, marked by Cuba's inclusion on the list of state sponsors of terrorism and a critical U.S. foreign policy regarding the regime's human rights record, led by the Cuban-American Marco Rubio, an authentic “black beast” for the halls and corridors of totalitarian power in Havana.
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