The United States Embassy in Havana commemorated on Thursday the six-month imprisonment of Kamil Zayas Pérez and Ernesto Ricardo Medina, founders of the independent Cuban audiovisual platform El 4tico, and demanded their immediate release along with that of all political prisoners on the Island.
In a message posted on X, the U.S. diplomatic representation described the detention as unjust and noted that both young individuals were arrested for the mere "crime" of raising their voices against Marxist ideology and the tyranny of the Cuban regime.
"Today marks six months since the Cuban communist regime unjustly detained Kamil Zayas Pérez and Ernesto Ricardo Medina, founders of the independent Cuban digital platform #El4tico, for the simple 'offense' of raising their voices against Marxist ideology and tyranny," the Embassy stated.
The statement coincided with an English declaration from the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs of the State Department, which cited the same date and terms to describe what happened with the creators of the Holguin project.
The Embassy also took the opportunity to draw a political contrast: “For decades, the Cuban regime has supported far-left movements in the United States and around the world under the slogans of 'justice,' 'equality,' and 'liberation.' However, we see the true face of radical leftism in the brutal oppression it exerts against its own people.”
Kamil Zayas and Ernesto Medina were arrested on February 6 in Holguín by State Security agents, who raided their home and confiscated a computer, camera, phone, tripod, and router.
The 4tico, founded in 2024 in the Mariana Grajales neighborhood of that city, operated from a small room converted into a recording set and published critical analyses of Cuban reality on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.
The Provincial Prosecutor's Office of Holguín charged them with "propaganda against the constitutional order" and "incitement to commit a crime," charges that can result in sentences of up to eight or nine years in prison. A habeas corpus application initially accepted by the Provincial Court of Holguín was later rejected, and the provisional detention was extended.
Half a year after their detention, the organization Cubalex reported that the Prosecutor's Office has not requested a trial nor has a date been set for the proceedings, which constitutes a violation of due process.
The case is part of an unprecedented rise in repression. According to data from Prisoners Defenders, Cuba reached an all-time high of 1,260 political prisoners in May, a figure that rose to 1,306 in July, including 40 minors.
Organizations like Amnesty International, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly demanded the release of the founders of El 4tico since the first day of their arrest.
"We stand with #El4tico and with all those who oppose communism in all its forms, and we continue to demand his immediate release, as well as that of all political prisoners," concluded the Embassy in its statement this Thursday.
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