A Cuban identified as Agneris Calvo Cruz posted a 32-second video on Facebook on Saturday, lamenting that the Cuban community has stopped demanding the release of the creators of the independent audiovisual project El4tico, who have been imprisoned for more than three months in Holguín.
"Ernesto and Camil have been in prison for three months. The creators of Cuartico. What happened? Why isn't anyone saying anything anymore? Why isn't anyone publishing anything? Have they already forgotten about them? That is the problem we Cubans have. We forget our heroes, our true heroes," said the woman, visibly indignant.
Ernesto Ricardo Medina and Kamil Zayas Pérez were detained on February 6 in Holguín by State Security agents during an operation that took place between six and seven in the morning, during which their homes were searched and computers, phones, cameras, tripods, routers, and other production equipment were confiscated.
Both were taken to the Holguín Criminal Instruction headquarters, known as "Everyone Sings," a center that has been repeatedly reported for torture, violent interrogations, and degrading treatment.
The Provincial Prosecutor's Office of Holguín accuses them of "propaganda against the constitutional order" and "incitement to commit crimes," charges that carry penalties of up to eight years in prison.
On February 13, the Provincial Court of Holguín extended the provisional detention. Prosecutor Yamisel Hernández argued that his videos "incite the people, the FAR, and MININT to change the constitutional order."
After 72 days of confinement, Ernesto refused to record a "repentance" video requested by State Security, while Kamil wrote a handwritten letter on April 17 from prison in which he denounced: "They take us to the cell for speaking the truth."
An activist presented a habeas corpus petition for the detention of the young people, which was accepted by the Provincial Court of Holguín but rejected without favorable outcomes.
Doris Santiesteban Batista, wife of Ernesto and mother of little Emma, who is almost four years old, has posted multiple messages on social media demanding the release of her husband.
Amnesty International documented the case in April 2026, calling for an end to the repression against the two content creators.
The video by Agneris Calvo Cruz reflects a recurring concern within the Cuban community: the progressive forgetting of political prisoners as the months go by and new crises—such as widespread blackouts—capture public attention.
The woman concluded her message with a direct call to action: "Reactions, please. Our creators from Cuartico are still there. Let’s do something for them. Freedom for them."
As of today, there are no reports of trial or release for either of the two young individuals, whose case can be followed in the full file on El4tico. Cuba has over 700 political prisoners according to human rights organizations, and Justicia11J documents 775, of which 338 were sentenced for the protests on July 11, 2021.
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