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The Cuban regime responded vehemently to the Inter-American Press Society (SIP) after the organization denounced an “escalation of aggression, harassment, and reprisals” against journalists and collaborators of the independent media outlet elTOQUE.
The state offensive includes an article published in Granma that describes the SIP as "dishonest" and accuses the platform of promoting "economic destabilization," reiterating the official narrative used to justify the persecution.
In his text, the official journalist Elson Concepción Pérez claims that the SIP "has jumped on the hate bandwagon" and that Cuba has only acted "democratically and in accordance with the law" by "exposing" the journalists from elTOQUE, whom he accuses—without presenting evidence—of serving foreign interests and causing inflation on the Island.
The article emphasizes that elTOQUE is a "media creation Made in USA" dedicated to "creating hardship among citizens," which is the central narrative of the state campaign that for weeks has been disseminating public defamation, television attacks, exposure of personal data, threats, and harassment against its members. Among the mobilized spokespersons are figures like Humberto López, State Security agents, and platforms such as Razones de Cuba.
SIP denounces a coordinated campaign of harassment
The regime's response comes shortly after the SIP issued a warning about a government offensive against the independent media, denouncing: defamation campaigns on national television; public threats; illegal exposure of personal data; unfounded accusations of “financial terrorism,” “economic warfare,” and “subversion,” as well as pressures and reprisals against collaborators both inside and outside of Cuba.
The organization stated that the incident involving elTOQUE is part of a systematic pattern of persecution, particularly aimed at media outlets that report on the economic crisis or publish indicators such as the informal exchange rate that contradict the official narrative.
Granma responds with an ideological attack: a familiar script
Instead of acknowledging the complaints or presenting evidence, the Granma text resorts to the usual script of the regime: accusing the SIP of acting in coordination with Washington, delegitimizing independent journalism, and diverting attention to international conflicts to denounce "double standards."
Concepción Pérez even criticizes the SIP for not speaking out on conflicts such as Gaza or the dictatorships in the Southern Cone during the 70s, an argument intended to discredit the organization without addressing the core issue: the rising intolerance of the regime towards critical journalism.
The narrative culminates by reiterating an old accusation: that independent journalists go to foreign embassies to receive funding and "destabilize the order." However, the regime does not provide concrete evidence for the charges it makes.
An offensive that reflects the regime's crisis in the face of independent information
The assault against the SIP and TOQUE occurs while Cuba is experiencing one of the worst economic crises in decades. In this context, the work of independent media that document prices, inflation, migration, or human rights violations has become particularly uncomfortable for the government, which is resorting to criminalization to silence critical voices.
The disproportionate reaction of the propaganda apparatus reveals a clear objective: to control the national narrative and intimidate those who report outside the state framework.
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