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The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) reported this Monday an “escalation of aggression, harassment, and reprisals” by the Cuban regime against journalists and collaborators of the independent media elTOQUE, amid a state campaign that accuses them, without evidence, of “financial terrorism,” “subversion,” and “economic warfare.”
The statement from the SIP comes after weeks of television attacks, defamation campaigns, public threats, and the exposure of personal data carried out by official spokespersons, including presenter Humberto López, State Security agents, and propaganda platforms such as Razones de Cuba.
In recent days, elTOQUE reported that the state site Razones de Cuba published an alleged list of 18 executives under "investigation," accompanied by warnings of possible extraditions, immediate imprisonment, and criminal charges if they entered Cuba.
The list even includes individuals who have not worked in the field for months or years, which, according to the publication, demonstrates an attempt to instill fear and paralyze their journalistic work.
The chief editor, José Jasán Nieves, has been one of the main targets. On November 12, state television revealed his personal address, and days earlier a group of people staged a repudiation act against him in Mexico City, where he was participating in a cultural event. Nieves warned that the regime is preparing a fabricated criminal case against journalists and collaborators of elTOQUE.
SIP: "This is a serious violation of press freedom."
The president of the SIP, Pierre Manigault, expressed the “full solidarity” of the organization with elTOQUE and with the independent Cuban press, and called on the international community to “remain vigilant” and demand that the Cuban government adhere to inter-American standards of freedom of expression.
For her part, Martha Ramos, president of the Commission on Press Freedom and Information, demanded "the immediate cessation of all forms of repression and defamation" and condemned the fabrication of criminal cases as a mechanism to silence critical voices.
The regime's assault on elTOQUE began to intensify on November 5 and reached a new peak on November 13, when Humberto López accused the outlet of “financial terrorism”, economic warfare, “tax evasion,” and of “manipulating the exchange rate to suppress the standard of living of Cubans.”
López went as far as to suggest criminal proceedings and the inclusion of elTOQUE on a list of entities "linked to terrorism," relying on supposed evidence that he never presented.
A week later, Razones de Cuba broadcast a special program presented as a “popular denunciation”. However, not a single ordinary citizen appeared. Instead, they featured a colonel from MININT and a former undercover agent, who reiterated the narrative of “terrorism,” foreign funding, conspiracies, and media war, without presenting any verifiable evidence.
"We will continue to do rigorous journalism," responds elTOQUE
Despite the pressure, elTOQUE confirmed its commitment to public service journalism, its investigations into the health system collapse, the country's energy and economic crisis, and what they describe as a work of "counter-propaganda" against state manipulation.
Meanwhile, the SIP warns that what is happening today against elTOQUE is part of a systematic pattern of surveillance, equipment confiscation, harassment of family members, and immigration restrictions against independent journalists on the island.
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