Cuban regime interrogates officials from the Convivencia Studies Center in Pinar del Río

The Cuban State Security interrogated the two main executives of the Center for Coexistence Studies (CEC) on Wednesday at the Pinar-1 Processing Unit of the Immigration and Foreigners Offices in Pinar del Río, in what the organization described on social media as a new act of harassment against their work.

The interrogation began at 10:30 in the morning and was conducted by Major Juan Manuel Pérez, head of the brigade for confronting counter-revolution in the province, and Major John, introduced as the new State Security officer assigned to "handle" Convivencia in place of Major Ernesto.

First, Dagoberto Valdés Hernández, director of the CEC and the magazine Convivencia, was questioned, with three stated objectives by the officials.

The first incident was the day before, when two members of the environmental organization Naturpaz visited his home and were intercepted on the street by state agents, who read their statements and warned that they would not allow Convivencia to conduct workshops or establish alliances with Naturpaz or any other organization.

The second objective was the presentation of books derived from the doctoral theses of Valdés and Yoandy Izquierdo Toledo at the Hialeah Public Library on March 21, during which agents inquired whether there were monetary benefits or prizes associated with the books.

The third objective was a direct political warning: that any alliance or activity with others could be seen as collaboration with the enemy in the context of tension with the United States. Major Juan Manuel stated that "what happened in Venezuela will not happen in Cuba, where they have even changed the red color," and that they would act before the first missile from the United States is launched.

From the CEC they reaffirmed that the Convivencia Studies Center has a very clear profile and that they will continue their work in civic thought and education regardless of the pressures faced.

It is not the first time that the CEC executives have been subjected to such actions. In January 2026, State Security accused Valdés Hernández of terrorism and collaborating with a foreign power. Previously, in July 2024, he was interrogated for more than an hour and a half, and in December 2022, both Valdés and Izquierdo were interrogated under similar circumstances.