The designated ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel assured in U.S. television that in Cuba no one is imprisoned for protesting. Less than 12 hours later, State Security summoned activist David Espinosa Martínez and his wife, dismantling his statement almost in real time.
This is not a minor coincidence. It is confirmation, within hours, of the gap between what the regime says externally and what it does within the country.
During his interview on 'Meet the Press' (NBC News), the leader emphasized that those who express discontent are heard by the institutions and that protesting does not carry legal consequences.
However, while that message was broadcast to an international audience, in Havana, the political police were activating their usual mechanism: summons, legal warnings, and direct pressure against uncomfortable citizens.
The case of Espinosa—known on social media as @DavidSiloetano—fits perfectly into that pattern. His "offense" has been to show solidarity with young people linked to the group 'Fuera de la Caja Cuba,' one of the most monitored collectives due to its ability to amplify criticisms of the system.
This is not the first time the Ministry of the Interior has summoned the young Catholic activist. On this occasion, they also included his wife, a common practice to increase psychological and familial pressure.
The logic is clear: punish not only the one who speaks but also those who support them.
Far from being an isolated incident, this episode is part of a broader repressive dynamic. Ana Sofía Benítez, another young woman associated with this environment, remains under house arrest after being prosecuted for her activity on social media. Her family has also been subjected to harassment: her sister was interrogated, threatened, and her passport was confiscated before traveling to the United States.
The same pattern is repeated in other provinces. In Holguín, the young men Kamil Zayas Pérez and Ernesto Ricardo Medina, from the independent project El4tico, remain in provisional detention accused of "propaganda against the constitutional order" and "instigation to commit a crime," charges systematically used to criminalize dissent.
These are not common crimes, but rather legal tools designed to silence uncomfortable voices.
In this context, Díaz-Canel's statements do not hold up against reality. While he tries to project an image of openness and tolerance, the apparatus of surveillance, intimidation, and punishment against dissenters remains intact within the country.
The speed with which Espinosa was summoned allows no room for interpretation: the official discourse was refuted in record time by the very mechanisms of the system. What is presented as the "right to protest" outside of Cuba translates within to summons, threats, and criminal proceedings.
Cases like this one, along with those of Ana Sofía Benítez and the activists of El4tico, are not exceptions. They are part of a sustained repressive pattern that repeatedly undermines the official narrative.
In Cuba, dissent still comes at a cost. And when power feels challenged, it responds as it always has: with repression.
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