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State Security agents arrested Dagoberto Valdés Hernández, director of the Center for Convivial Studies (CEC), and one of his collaborators, during an operation carried out at his home in the province of Pinar del Río this Friday.
Hours later, the intellectual was released, as confirmed by the organization itself in a post on Facebook.
According to a statement from the CEC, the arrest was carried out by Major Ernesto, an officer from State Security who "oversees" the institution, who arrived at Valdés's home accompanied by a patrol from the National Revolutionary Police (PNR).
At first, his whereabouts were unknown, while members of the center tried to locate him in police and State Security facilities.
The organization explained that the officials did not initially provide a formal justification for the detention and forced Valdés to vacate the home where visitors were present, lock it up, and accompany them, without the right to make phone calls.
Later, Yoandy Izquierdo, a collaborator of the Center for Convivial Studies, was also arrested. According to Izquierdo himself, when he arrived at the headquarters of the Technical Investigation Department (DTI) in Pinar del Río, Major Ernesto indicated that he would also be taken for questioning.
According to the testimony gathered by Convivencia, the reason for the arrests was the recent meeting of Valdés Hernández with Mike Hammer, Chargé d'Affaires of the United States Embassy in Cuba.
Although Izquierdo was accused of accompanying him, the organization asserts that he did not participate in that meeting.
During the interrogation, an officer from the legal section accused Valdés of terrorism and of collaborating with a foreign power, warning him that the authorities would not allow contacts between American diplomats and Cuban citizens, given the country's internal situation.
After more than two hours of interrogation, the officers concluded the process with a warning document, which Valdés refused to sign.
According to the statement, they advised him not to accept future invitations from the U.S. diplomat or attend activities organized by the Embassy, although he was authorized to travel to Havana for religious, academic, family, or health reasons.
Similarly, the authorities warned that "sharing the enemy's ideas" constitutes a crime and stated that they would not allow scenarios similar to those that occurred in other countries in the region.
The Cuban Institute for Freedom of Press and Expression (ICLEP) reported that Valdés Hernández has been subjected to harassment, threats, defamation campaigns, and restrictions on his freedom of movement for years due to his opinions and intellectual work.
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