Cuban state journalist Pedro Jorge Velázquez, known on social media as El Necio, published a video on Facebook denouncing persecution and threats on the streets of Havana and announced that he would go to the police station to file a formal complaint with the PNR.
Velázquez, who was returning from a trip to Moscow where he participated in the Sovintern Forum at the end of April, recounted two incidents involving an unknown individual whose identity he chose not to reveal publicly, leaving that task to the authorities.
The first incident took place during the Patria colloquium in Old Havana, where the individual adopted an aggressive demeanor. "It's almost like they're following me through the streets of Havana. Initially, they displayed an aggressive and threatening attitude in Old Havana with some friends during the Patria colloquium," the communicator recounted.
The second incident took place at the Hotel Nacional, where the same individual followed him and directly threatened him: "You're so lucky, I'm going to get you, I'm going to catch you on the streets of Havana," according to the account of El Necio, who claims to have witnesses in both cases.
The journalist justified the public complaint as a precautionary measure as well.
"Whatever might happen to me, at least there is a record; it's documented in a police report," she explained, adding that she asked the authorities to review the security cameras to identify the attacker.
Velázquez also mentioned the case of a colleague: "Recently, a fellow communicator, Guajiro Citadino, was attacked in the streets of Havana; someone hit him and then ran away. And it's important to report these kinds of things in a timely manner."
The communicator, a contributor to the Granma newspaper and one of the main digital propagandists for the regime on social media, was firm in his stance: "Let those who come with this fascist squadron attitude know that I will denounce them and that we are not afraid of them."
The video was produced months after the United States imposed visa restrictions in February due to his alleged involvement in harassment campaigns against American diplomats in Cuba, including Chargé d'Affaires Mike Hammer. El Necio denied the accusations and described them as political retaliation.
During his recent stay in Moscow, the journalist expressed his admiration for Putin and the Russian people and published a poem to the former dictator Fidel Castro in front of his statue in the Russian capital.
The reactions to the video were mixed. While many followers expressed their support—“Take care, but don’t back down, Cuba needs you”—and others appreciated the gesture—“Excellent, it’s the best thing you could have done, setting a precedent”—some internet users expressed skepticism or irony.
One comment noted: "It's fine that you report it. But don't turn it into a show." Another, more ironic, pointed out: "The circus has begun, but there is no bread."
A user raised the question that underlies the entire complaint: "If the people could make their complaints without being punished... the court would have to be massive, there aren't enough judges to advocate for so many injustices."
The underlying question is whether the PNR, which has historically ignored complaints from ordinary citizens, will respond differently when the person reporting is a communicator in the service of the regime itself.
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