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The Cuban writer and journalist Jorge Fernández Era was arrested this Sunday in Havana, just hours after announcing on his social media that he would peacefully protest in Central Park. As he confirmed himself, he was held for more than 15 hours and is now back at home.
“I was detained from 3:05 PM to 6:52 AM. I'm home now,” wrote Fernández Era this Monday in a Facebook post after his release.
His wife, Laideliz Herrera Laza, had reported in that the writer left their home at 3:00 p.m. “to go to Parque Central to exercise the constitutional right to peacefully protest” and had not returned. The post generated dozens of comments and was shared over 60 times by users concerned about his whereabouts.
Also, her colleague Lara Crofs warned in that he was not listed in any police station in the capital. “All police stations in the city were called, and he is not registered as detained anywhere. THIS is kidnapping. Enough with the abuse and mistreatment; Jorge is an honest man with a dignity that you will never reach,” she wrote.
In a text published hours earlier, titled “Behind the Facade,” Fernández Era announced his intention to participate in a peaceful demonstration. “Today I will stand from four in the afternoon for an hour in Central Park in Havana, in front of the monument to José Martí, as part of the peaceful demonstrations that Ailina and a small group of Cubans hold on the 18th to protest against the repression of thought, in addition to demanding the release of political prisoners (and journalists, including the writer Berrechea) and calling for a Constituent Assembly to reformulate the constitution that the Government and repressive forces violate at will,” he wrote.
The writer added: “I expose myself to the 'valiant' ones from State Security rampaging against me for the sheer recklessness of coming into the public eye. They know that I do not fear them, no matter how extensive my record is and the punishment that awaits me for confronting them. But the condemnation they have pending with history...”.
It is not the first time that the writer has been a victim of repression. In July 2025, he reported physical assaults and death threats from State Security agents, including blows to the face and body, threats to “remove him from the path,” and psychological torture, as he recounted in a text shared at that time on social media and covered by various media outlets.
For the past two years, Fernández Era has been holding peaceful demonstrations on the 18th of each month at Central Park in Havana as a form of civic protest against political repression and in demand for respect for civil rights in Cuba.
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