The host of the pro-government program Con filo, Michel Torres Corona, publicly advocated for the release of the young Holguin residents Kamil Zayas Pérez and Ernesto Ricardo Medina, creators of the audiovisual project El4tico, who were recently detained by the authorities.
In the latest broadcast of the television show, Torres Corona acknowledged that, in his opinion, "they should be released," but not because they do not deserve to be in prison or because they are innocent.
"They're two boys who, God knows what they're thinking," she said disdainfully.
The presenter addressed the arrest of the two influencers, who, in his opinion, have taken on "a kind of digital counter-revolutionary leadership" with greater impact online than in real life.
He recalled that there is a habeas corpus filed with the court and that the prosecution in Holguín still has to act.
Torres Corona framed his opinion within the official discourse of "Rule of Law" and asserted that it will be the judicial bodies that determine the fate of the young individuals, with the right to defense and judicial oversight.
But the condescending tone towards the detainees faded when he returned to the regime's hardline stance: he insisted that supporting Donald Trump or calling for military intervention in Cuba is "an act of treason against the homeland" and that those who do so "must face the consequences with the full severity of our legal system."
He also defended the narrative of Cuba as a "besieged plaza" and in a state of permanent war.
"We will not hesitate... to defend socialism in Cuba and our national sovereignty by any means necessary. The situation in that regard remains the same, no matter how bad things get," he said, referring directly to the El4tico project.
The driver also lashed out at other content creators critical of the system, whom he accused of downplaying the impact of the U.S. embargo.
"These evangelical youth (...) have echoed the worst and most reactionary anti-communist propaganda, which even refuses to acknowledge what is practically unquestionable for those who want the world," he said.
"It is an insult that, either out of ignorance or for other interests, there is an attempt to downplay that genocidal act (...) And certainly, do not believe what the evangelicals with their Trump hats say, who are even more reactionary than Telemundo," he emphasized.
Torres Corona's statements come amid increasing national and international pressure for the detention of Zayas and Medina.
The U.S. Department of State spoke out publicly, stating that "the illegitimate Cuban regime continues its daily acts of repression and abuse" and that both young men were arrested "simply for denouncing the economic mismanagement of the dictatorship."
El4tico is a dissident space that emerged in Holguín, where its creators challenge the authorities from a small room transformed into a studio, blending analysis and sociopolitical critiques of Cuban reality.
With thousands of followers online, it has become one of the most visible alternative projects on the island.
The arrest took place during a police operation in which the agents seized computers, phones, cameras, and other work equipment used to document their activities.
According to the platform Citizenship and Freedom, both were taken to the Criminal Instruction headquarters in Holguín, known as "Todo el mundo canta," a facility noted for practices of violent interrogation and degrading treatment.
The activist Yanet Rodríguez Sánchez filed a habeas corpus petition before the Provincial Court of Holguín.
This resource requires the court to obtain official information regarding the exact location of the young individuals, the formal charges, the case number, and the material conditions of their detention.
In parallel, a wave of solidarity has emerged under the hashtag #TodosSomosEl4tico.
Public figures like Luis Alberto García and Ulises Toirac have called for the human rights of Zayas and Medina to be respected and for their release.
The U.S. Embassy in Cuba also demanded their immediate release.
All of this takes place in a national context marked by blackouts, inflation, mass migration, and deep social discontent.
In that scenario, any voice that questions the system is treated as a threat to security rather than as a legitimate exercise of free speech.
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