The Cuban Mixed Martial Arts champion Javier Ernesto Martín Gutiérrez, known as 'Spiderman', remains detained in Villa Marista after being violently arrested in Havana, as confirmed by his wife, Lisandra Cuza, in an audio sent to Martí Noticias after obtaining official information from the authorities.
In the recording, Cuza indicated that officials from the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) informed the relatives that they would be able to visit Martín Gutiérrez on Wednesday, April 29, and admitted that the athlete had been "beaten" for resisting arrest.
Similarly, the MININT repressors indicated that the athlete will undergo a psychological evaluation and that they will try to determine whether his actions are a product of his own will or, on the contrary, are due to some type of mental disorder. "It is unknown how long they will keep him there," said his wife.
The arrest took place in the municipality of Marianao, in Havana, and the transfer of the activist to Villa Marista —rather than a regular police unit— indicates that his case is being handled directly by state security, suggesting political motivations related to his protest activities and public denunciations.
Villa Marista is the popular name for the State Security Investigations Center, the main detention and interrogation center of the Cuban political police in Havana.
Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have documented in that center cases of psychological torture, prolonged isolation, and pressure to obtain confessions.
The fact that a detainee is taken there, instead of to a regular prison, is a clear indication that the regime considers the case to be political in nature.
'Spiderman' is not an anonymous citizen: his background as an MMA champion gives him a public and media presence that makes his arrest particularly significant.
In recent years, the regime has intensified repression against figures with a social media presence and personalities from sports or culture who express dissent or participate in protests.
Since the protests of July 11, 2021, Cuba has been undergoing a sustained cycle of persecution against critical voices, activists, and citizens who dare to publicly question the government.
So far, no formal charges have been made public against Martín Gutiérrez, nor has there been any information on when he might appear before a judicial authority.
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