The Cuban actor Luis Alberto García Novoa publicly condemned the detention of young Kamil Zayas Pérez, a member of the independent project El4tico, and demanded his immediate release, arguing that he was arrested solely for expressing critical ideas.
In a post on Facebook, García Novoa wrote: "This young man has been arrested. Another one. He expresses so well what he defends and feels, that I can't help but respect him greatly and demand his release. It is terrible to imprison ideas, whatever they may be."
The actor accompanied his message with the full text of a letter written by Kamil Zayas before his arrest, in which the young man anticipated his detention and stated that it would not be for any common crime, but for expressing what he considers uncomfortable truths for those in power.
In the letter, dated January, Zayas anticipated that he would be arrested "for the only 'crime' that a dictatorship cannot tolerate: daring to look directly and say aloud what we all notice: its glaring faults, chronic inefficiencies, systematic injustices, and the oppression that crushes the dignity of an entire people."
The young man emphasized that he has always spoken "without hate and without polarization" and that his goal has been to promote critical thinking.
He denounced that, in the midst of the worst crisis the country has experienced, the State chooses to shut down spaces and intensify repression instead of taking responsibility.
"They fear more to confront their own mistakes than to drag an entire people into the abyss out of pride and arrogance," Zayas wrote, who also accused the official discourse of hypocrisy: it glorifies rebellion in books, but persecutes those who practice it today.
Zayas identifies as "just another Cuban" who wants to live with dignity and speak the truth without fear. In one of the strongest passages of his message, he stated that "a cell does not extinguish a collective consciousness" and that forced silence only deepens the wounds of the nation.
The text concluded with a call to not give in to fear and to continue speaking with dignity, assuring that justice, truth, and freedom "always arrive, even if they take time."
By sharing the text on his Facebook wall, García Novoa concluded the post by reiterating his respect for the young man and demanding his release, labeling it unacceptable for ideas to be imprisoned.
Repression and censorship against two innocent young people
The arrest of Kamil Zayas Pérez occurred in Holguín during a police operation in which Ernesto Ricardo Medina was also detained. Both are involved in the project El 4tico, known for its sociopolitical analyses and critiques of the Cuban reality.
The letter shared by Luis Alberto García had already been made public earlier by the young Cuban Paula Amador Lobón, a student at Columbia University.
Paula explained that Zayas gave her the text in advance and asked her to publish it if it was not available for free within 24 hours.
According to reports from activists and the platform Ciudadanía y Libertad, the young individuals were taken to the Criminal Instruction headquarters in Holguín, known as "Todo el mundo canta," a facility criticized for its violent interrogation practices and degrading treatment.
During the operation, agents confiscated computers, phones, cameras, and work equipment that the young people used to document their work.
Doris Santiesteban Batista remained in the residence along with the couple's youngest daughter, in a situation described as highly vulnerable following the police intervention.
The El 4tico project released a video of the moment of the arrest, where a police officer can be heard saying that he had a warrant to enter. Activists and social media users have shown solidarity with the detainees under the hashtag #TodosSomosEl4tico.
The United States Embassy in Cuba also demanded the release of Kamil Zayas and Ernesto Ricardo Medina.
The arrest occurs in a national context marked by blackouts, inflation, mass migration, and social discontent, where any voice that questions the system is perceived as a threat and treated as a security issue, rather than as a legitimate exercise of expression.
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