The Cuban State Security interrogated and threatened Elmis Rivero Silvente, sister of the young activist Anna Bensi, hours before she boarded her flight back to Miami on Thursday, withholding her passport and warning her that she would not be allowed to leave the country until she spoke with them.
Rivero Silvente is a U.S. citizen and had traveled to Cuba for four days to visit her mother, Caridad Silvente, and to meet with the lawyer handling her sister's legal case, who has been under house arrest since March 25 along with her mother.
The citation was issued at 8:30 in the morning on the same day of the flight, signed by Lieutenant Merlín Hernández Estévez, under the pretext of an "interview for immigration stay control" at the Immigration office of the Playa municipality. The document warned of penalties for non-appearance, including fines and compulsory attendance.
Four military personnel interrogated her: Major Joan, Lieutenant Arelis, and a third officer who identified himself as the head of immigration for the entire country. Rivero Silvente arrived with her two children, aged nine and three, but the agents withheld her passport and demanded that she leave the minors with someone else in order to be questioned.
During the interrogation, the agents directly threatened her with the safety of her sister and mother: "You haven't seen the news, Trump is going to invade Cuba, the first missile is going to your house. Remember that your sister and mother are alone here in Cuba, no one is going to support them."
The agents also accused her of having organized the visit of the head of mission from the U.S. Embassy in Cuba, Mike Hammer, who on the same day visited Anna Bensi and Caridad Silvente at their home in Alamar.
Rivero Silvente recounted that he was asked "if Mike Hammer was inciting the youth to take to the streets" and whether something was "being planned against the country."
After fulfilling the requirement, Rivero Silvente managed to travel with his children to Terminal 3 of José Martí International Airport and boarded American Airlines flight 838, which landed at 4:12 PM at Miami International Airport.
Upon arriving in the United States, she was emphatic: "They didn't want to let me leave. They held onto my passport, they didn't want to let me go."
Regarding the condition of his sister and mother, Rivero Silvente described a situation of constant repression: "They are very repressed. They are completely cut off."
She also detailed the constant surveillance they endure: "There are 6 or 7 behind them all the time, listening to reggaeton music, loud music, laughing, commenting on things."
The case is part of an escalating repression against Anna Bensi, 21 years old. On March 10, her mother recorded two agents from MININT delivering an irregular summons at their home; Anna posted the video identifying the officer Yoel Leodán Rabaza Ramos.
The regime classified that publication as a crime under the article 393 of the Cuban Penal Code, with penalties ranging from two to five years in prison. On March 25, Anna was formally charged and was placed under house arrest along with her mother.
The reaction on social media was immediate. "The Castros are afraid of Anna Bensi, I leave that here for you."
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