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The Cuban actor Luis Alberto García Novoa spoke out publicly following the recent detention of the academic and activist Alina Bárbara López Hernández in Matanzas, in a message with strong ethical content in which he questioned the moral legitimacy of those who ordered her arrest.
"Don't you feel ashamed to arrest and mistreat a Cuban woman for the umpteenth time, who stands on equal footing with Mariana Grajales?" she wrote on her profile, referring directly to the ongoing repression against the historian.
The publication was not limited to an expression of solidarity. The actor articulated a critique based on historical references and also included a recognizable cultural nod: in his text, he paraphrases and plays with verses from Pequeña serenata diurna by Silvio Rodríguez.
"I am more than clear that I do not 'live in a free country that can only be free,' nor 'in this land and at this moment,' and where for a while now there has been no happiness of mine that some dead can forgive me," he wrote, rephrasing fragments of the well-known song.
García Novoa defended López Hernández's right to peacefully express herself and emphasized that her behavior does not fall under any criminal offense. He described her as "a good person, brilliant, lucid, a 'strong woman' of the kind that these reefs often produce" and recalled that she exercises her right "under the protection of a Charter, which is hardly recognized by 'Magma' anymore, given their casual disrespect for it."
He also appealed to the civic spirit of historical Cuban figures and questioned the state’s response: “...exercising the right to express their opinion with decency and dignity, emulating the civility of Varela, Mendive, Martí, Villena, Chibás, and even that very young Castro, and yet you penalize them for sitting silently on a bench in a park in Matanzas? Without carrying explosives, nor holding placards inciting uprisings, nor breaking a window, nor assaulting law enforcement agents?”
The criticism became more direct by stating: “The true dissidents of that explosion of popular joy in 1959 have turned out to be you.”
The actor also brought the conflict to a personal and generational level: “In this way, with this outpouring of so many sad, persistent, and pathetic behaviors, it is impossible to pass on to my little daughters the true meanings of Homeland, Ethics, Morality, and Justice.”
He added: "I may have been a little fearful at times, but I have a greater fear that would be UNFORGIVABLE: teaching them to be cowards."
The message concluded with a forceful: "Stop."
The reaction occurred after López Hernández was arrested on February 18 along with activist Leonardo Romero Negrín while they were heading to the Parque de la Libertad in Matanzas, where she holds a monthly civic protest. Both were held for 12 hours in custody and were charged with "contempt," which they denied. As the academic herself recounted, Lieutenant Colonel Rogelio Cuesta Aragón warned her that she is “one step away” from being charged with “incitement to commit a crime”.
Furthermore, the precautionary measure of house arrest was reiterated in a previous case for alleged "assault," the trial for which, scheduled for January, was suspended without official explanation. Following his monthly protest, he planned to submit a letter to the Municipal Assembly to request attention to the citizen petition for an amnesty law submitted to the Cuban Parliament on February 4th.
This is not the first time the actor has publicly defended López Hernández. When she was expelled from the UNEAC for political reasons, García described that decision as a "blatant act of injustice" and a "grave error," following the expulsion of the academic from the cultural organization, a measure that sparked reactions within the intellectual community.
He also spoke out against the arrest of young Kamil Zayas Pérez, a member of the independent project El4tico, stating: “It is terrible to imprison ideas, whatever they may be,” following the police operation in Holguín against young people expressing criticism of the authorities.
The latest post generated hundreds of reactions on social media. Among the comments were: "Thank you for being the voice of those who cannot," "Freedom for Alina," "Thinking differently is not a crime," and "It is unacceptable to treat a woman who is peacefully protesting this way." Other messages highlighted the symbolic significance of her protest and questioned how sitting in a park could be considered a crime.
So far, the authorities have not provided an official statement regarding the most recent arrest nor clarified whether the new allegations will lead to another legal process.
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