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A Panamanian activist reported pressures, interrogations, and detentions by Cuban authorities after traveling to the island to conduct humanitarian assistance, amid growing concern for the ten Panamanian citizens currently detained in Havana.
Jair Ortiz, a member of the movement Camino a la Democracia Pacífica de Cuba, stated that he was held for over ten hours by regime agents during his stay in the province of Matanzas. He reported that the interrogations were accompanied by pressures to self-incriminate.
“I was detained for over 10 hours in Matanzas, and they accuse you and practically force you to accuse yourself,” he stated in an interview with Martí Noticias.
The activist was part of a group of Panamanians who traveled to Cuba with the goal of distributing food and other supplies to vulnerable families. According to his testimony, the donations included groceries and food bags specifically intended for children and those in need.
"We had been distributing food to more than 50 families since six in the morning, but we had already run out of food for the children," he explained.
A video recently released by the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) precisely shows scenes of this aid distribution in humble neighborhoods of Matanzas. The footage depicts neighbors, elderly people, mothers with children, and others approaching gates and fences to receive bags of food, after word spread that foreign citizens were donating basic products.
The audiovisual material has been presented by opponents as evidence that contradicts the official version of the Cuban regime, which claims that the visitors entered the country to carry out "subversive" activities.
According to the Ministry of the Interior (MININT), ten Panamanian citizens were arrested on February 28, accused of propaganda against the constitutional order, a crime that could lead to sentences of up to ten years in prison. Authorities state that the group planned to place signs critical of the Cuban political system.
However, Ortiz claims that the atmosphere began to tense when the authorities detected the group's activities, which forced him to leave the island in a hurry.
“I had to leave the country early, I had to run away, abandon my hotel and car, and rush to the airport because there was already a chase,” Ortiz recounted to the Panamanian outlet Telemetro Reporta.
According to Ortiz's statements, at least four Cubans may have been arrested for allegedly assisting the group with addresses or transportation while they were delivering donations.
"All of Panama is watching the ten Panamanians who are there, but there are also Cuban prisoners who extended their helping hand to us," he stated.
Meanwhile, the government of Panama has begun diplomatic efforts. The Panamanian ambassador in Cuba, Edwin Pitty, recently managed to meet with the ten detainees at the Villa Marista detention center, the headquarters of State Security in Havana.
After the meeting, the Panamanian Foreign Ministry requested guarantees of due process, respect for the presumption of innocence, and access to legal assistance for its citizens.
The case has attracted attention both in Panama and among Cuban activists, in a context marked by scarcity and the economic crisis on the island, where independent humanitarian aid initiatives are often monitored or blocked by the authorities.
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