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Doris Santiesteban, wife of Ernesto Ricardo Medina, one of the young detainees from the independent project El 4tico, made a public appeal to demand his release and to highlight the familial impact that the arrest has caused, through a message posted on social media. In that text, she described the anguish she has been experiencing since her husband's detention and how his absence has directly affected their young daughter.
"I'm not one to publish writings about my private life, but I'm currently going through a situation that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy," she wrote. She explained that she hasn't seen her husband for three days, and her three-year-old daughter constantly asks about him. "She's an intelligent, kind, and strong little girl like her dad; she keeps asking me where her dad is, and that she wants to see him," she expressed.
In his post, Santiesteban expressed gratitude for the support received and reiterated his main demand: “All I ask for is freedom for Ernesto Ricardo and Kamil Zayas.”
Ernesto Ricardo Medina and Kamil Zayas Pérez were detained in Holguín during a police operation conducted between six and seven in the morning, according to the testimony offered by Medina's wife, who described how the arrest and the search of the home took place. During the operation, State Security agents confiscated computers, phones, cameras, and other equipment that the young men used for their audiovisual work.
Both are connected to the project El 4tico, a critical space that emerged in Holguín to analyze and question Cuban reality from a small home studio, which has gained visibility on social media within the island.
After the arrests, activist Yanet Rodríguez Sánchez filed a habeas corpus petition on behalf of the youths before the Provincial Court of Holguín, which was accepted by the court, a rather unusual decision in the Cuban judicial system. The First Criminal Chamber ordered the Prosecutor's Office to comment on the legality of the arrest, the charges filed, and the conditions in which the individuals are detained, and scheduled a hearing for February 12.
According to the information released, Medina and Zayas were transferred to the Criminal Instruction headquarters in Holguín, known as "Todo el mundo canta," a facility that has been repeatedly cited in complaints for violent interrogations and degrading treatment.
The case has sparked reactions both inside and outside of Cuba. The U.S. State Department spoke out regarding the detention of the youths and stated that “the illegitimate Cuban regime continues its daily acts of repression and abuse,” referring to an arrest that occurred, as indicated, for “denouncing the poor economic management of the dictatorship,” in a message released by the Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs.
Also, activists, artists, and influencers have expressed solidarity with those detained and have called for not remaining silent. Among them, content creator Kristoff Kriollo urged others to speak up publicly and to keep the case visible. Under hashtags like #TodosSomosEl4tico, social media users have demanded their release and denounced what they consider punishment for exercising freedom of expression.
As legal avenues progress and public pressure continues, the families of the young people are emphasizing the human cost of the detention. The testimony of Doris Santiesteban captures this plea: a small girl who does not understand judicial processes or political repression, but who keeps asking every day about her dad.
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