Cuban content creator Anna Sofía Benítez Silvente, known as Anna Bensi, broke her silence after being charged on Wednesday and placed under house arrest, in a case that also involves her mother and has generated increasing attention both on the island and beyond.
In a video published shortly after leaving the police station, the young woman recounted in the first person what happened during her summons at the National Revolutionary Police station in Alamar, Havana. Her testimony, filled with intimate details and moments of tension, humanizes a legal process that could result in sentences of up to five years in prison.
"Today I was charged and gave a statement. I am under house arrest; I cannot leave the country or travel between provinces without notifying." he explained.
According to her account, she stayed inside the unit for about an hour. She was first taken to an office alongside her lawyer, where an instructor —the same one handling her mother's case— and another officer formally communicated the charges to her.
After concluding the legal process and being left without the presence of her lawyer, she was taken to another office where a police officer subjected her to a thorough body search.
“They checked my hair, had to take off my hairstyle, my blouse, my pants, they touched my shoes to see if I was carrying anything,” she reported.
The recording, conducted without his defense present, lasted several minutes. Shortly after, they returned his identification card and told him he could leave.
Despite the experience, the young woman emphasized the support she received. "I am very grateful to everyone who came to support me and to those who have shown their support on social media. They not only support my mom and me but also a national cause: freedom," she stated.
The case against Anna Bensi and her mother, Caridad Silvente Laffita, originated after the publication of a video on social media that showed two men—one identified as an agent of the Ministry of the Interior—delivering an official summons. Authorities believe that the dissemination of this material constitutes a crime related to privacy and personal identity.
However, the family claims that the process is a retaliation for the public allegations made by the young woman on social media.
The case has also been questioned from a legal standpoint. The defense argues that the alleged crime requires a direct complaint from the person purportedly affected, which would call into question the validity of the proceedings initiated by the authorities.
As the process unfolds amid allegations of opacity, Anna Bensi's testimony adds a personal dimension to a case that has transcended legal matters and become a symbol of a broader debate about freedoms and limitations in the Cuban digital landscape.
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