The habeas corpus hearing in favor of the young men Ernesto Ricardo Medina and Kamil Zayas Pérez, members of the independent project El4tico, is taking place this Thursday at the Provincial Court of Holguín amid a heavy police presence and a climate of heightened tension, according to the independent platform Ciudadanía y Libertad.
According to the organization, the courthouse was surrounded in the morning by police officers and State Security agents in plain clothes, who are monitoring both the area and the people approaching the site.
On a side street, a transport truck for individuals deprived of their liberty is parked, a detail that reinforces the feeling of control and harassment surrounding a process that, in theory, should guarantee basic rights.
Ciudadanía y Libertad also alerted to a particularly serious situation: the whereabouts of Yanet Rodríguez Sánchez, the activist who promoted the appeal and was supposed to attend the hearing, are unknown.
The organization warned that it could have been detained by the DGI and prevented from reaching the court, which, if confirmed, would constitute a direct violation of the right to defense and procedural transparency.
Additionally, reports from the area indicate that there has been a disruption of Internet service and there is no electricity supply, which limits communication and public oversight of what is happening inside the court.
Meanwhile, relatives and friends of the young people remain outside the courthouse and have called on the community to come and show their support.
"The writ of habeas corpus is an essential safeguard against arbitrary detention," recalled Ciudadanía y Libertad, which demanded:
Immediate information about the whereabouts of Yanet Rodríguez Sánchez.
Procedural transparency and access to information.
The restoration of basic services in the area.
Full respect for judicial guarantees and the integrity of all individuals involved.
The police cordon, service cuts, and the possible temporary disappearance of the activist pushing for the legal action demonstrate that the Cuban regime is unwilling to allow a fair and transparent process, even when the country's own law recognizes habeas corpus as protection against illegal detentions.
What is at stake is not only the fate of two young content creators but also the minimal credibility of a judicial system that rarely accepts such appeals and is now under the scrutiny of a society increasingly aware of its rights.
The case of El4tico
The Provincial Popular Court of Holguín accepted a habeas corpus appeal on February 9 filed on behalf of Kamil Zayas Pérez and Ernesto Ricardo Medina, members of the independent project El4tico.
This is an unusual decision in the Cuban judicial system, requiring the Prosecutor's Office to officially explain why both remain detained, on what charges, and under what conditions.
Citizenship and Freedom confirmed that the First Chamber of Criminal Law has processed the appeal and ordered the Provincial Prosecutor's Office to immediately address the legality of the detention, the charges against the young individuals, and the treatment they received, following their arrest on February 6.
According to the court order signed by Judge Marcos Michel Betancourt Leyva, the request reports an arrest without notification of charges, without specification of crimes, and without adherence to the established legal formalities, which could constitute a violation of fundamental rights recognized even by the Cuban Constitution itself.
The document states that Zayas Pérez and Medina were processed based on an anonymous complaint, remain in detention without knowing the charges against them, and were arrested without the requirements mandated by law.
For this reason, the court considers the "immediate release" of both to be of interest.
The hearing was set for February 12 at 9:00 AM, when the Prosecutor's Office must present the files and reports and undergo judicial scrutiny of the case, breaking—at least in theory—with the opacity that has characterized the detention.
The habeas corpus was filed by Yanet Rodríguez Sánchez, who had previously approached the court on behalf of the young people, demanding official information regarding their whereabouts, formal charges, and the conditions of their detention.
Both were detained during a police operation in the early morning and taken to the Criminal Instruction headquarters of the province, known as "Everyone Sings," a facility reported in multiple complaints for violent interrogations and degrading treatment.
During the arrest, agents of the State Security confiscated computers, phones, cameras, and other equipment that the young people were using to document their work, according to reports from activists and civil society organizations.
The admission of habeas corpus is an unusual event and places the Prosecutor's Office under public and legal scrutiny, amidst a growing rejection both within and outside the Island over the detention of the El4tico boys, who have already become a symbol of the price paid in Cuba for attempting to exercise freedom of expression and reveal the reality of the country.
Filed under: