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The comedian Ulises Toirac believes that the detention of the young creators of El4tico shows that in Cuba there is "fear and repression" of freedom of expression.
"Freedom of expression is only the first step; it allows you to voice your thoughts aloud. But it is not until there is democracy that this voice is not only heard but also TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT. And there, and only there, is where freedom of expression gains its true significance and where real exclusions come to an end," said Toirac, a keen analyst of the island's reality.
For the artist, without freedom of expression, democracy is impossible.
"What happened with #el4tico is a clear demonstration that the first is feared and repressed. And that is an unmistakable sign of the 'unwish' of the second. Any project that involves people must move with the small forces of each individual if it wants to achieve harmonious progress that takes them into account. The least misguided decision is the one that carries the consensus of the majority and not the creed of a part," he reflected.
In addition to Toirac, other artists such as Luis Alberto García and Haydée Milanés have reported in recent hours on the detention of those from El4tico.
Milanés stated that the detention of young content creators is “yet another proof of the horror” of the Cuban regime.
"Yesterday, these two young Cubans were arrested, merely for expressing their thoughts. Let the world know that in #Cuba, different opinions are cruelly persecuted and punished. This is not new; it is yet another testament to the horror we Cubans endure. Below, I am sharing the message that Kamil left, anticipating this arrest," Milanés wrote on Facebook.
The artist refers to a letter written by the activist Kamil Zayas Pérez, a member of the independent project, who was arrested on Friday in Holguín along with Ernesto Ricardo Medina during a police operation.
In his statement, circulated by activists and dated January 2026, Kamil calmly warned prophetically: “If you are seeing or reading this, it is because they finally found a way to silence me, to try to put a temporary gag on me.”
The activist explained that his arrest was not due to any common crime, but to "the one crime that a dictatorship cannot tolerate: daring to look them in the eye and loudly say what we all notice: their glaring faults, their chronic inefficiencies, their systematic injustices, and the oppression that crushes the dignity of an entire people."
Zayas, known for his reflective tone and analytical ability, affirmed that his work at El4tico always aimed to promote critical thinking "without hatred and without polarization." "I have only pointed out what is incorrect, what is humiliating, what degrades the human being. And that, apparently, is unforgivable," he wrote.
In the letter, the young man denounced that the Cuban state, faced with the deepest crisis in its recent history, "chooses to tighten the screws further, to stifle the narrative until it suffocates, and to escalate the level of repression." He also described the fear of those in power as their main driving force: "They fear more taking responsibility for their own mistakes than dragging an entire people into the abyss out of pride and arrogance."
Zayas also reflected on the hypocrisy of the official discourse, which exalts rebellion in history books while persecuting those who practice it today: “They silence those of us who do exactly what they teach: raising our voices against injustice. Those are their heroes, until someone truly imitates them.”
In one of the most moving passages, the young man defined himself without grandiosity: “I am nobody special, neither a leader nor indispensable. I am just another Cuban, a small piece in a vast cause: the desire to live with dignity and to be able to speak the truth without fear.”
The letter concluded with a message of hope and challenge: “Silencing me does not silence the tide. A cell does not extinguish a collective consciousness that has already awakened. Forced silence fixes nothing; it only festers the wound further. The Cuban people no longer settle for crumbs or tales. They deserve — they demand — something much better.”
The text has gone viral under the hashtag #TodosSomosEl4tico, generating reactions of solidarity both within and outside of Cuba.
Amidst blackouts, censorship, and a growing wave of uncertainty and indignation, Kamil Zayas's letter encapsulates the spirit of a generation that defies fear with words. A message that, although written from the foresight of confinement, already belongs to the collective memory of a country that— as he wrote— "demands something much better."
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