Juan Pablo Segura, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, demanded on Wednesday the release of the independent Cuban journalist Henry Constantín Ferreiro, founding director of La Hora de Cuba, who has been imprisoned since mid-September.
“The Cuban regime has unjustly detained independent journalist Henry Constantín simply for reporting the truth and revealing the abuses of the regime,” Segura stated on his official account on X.
The official accompanied the message with a poster in which Constantín is identified as "unjustly detained," and it highlights his "crime" as "promoting independent media."
Segura also stated that the Trump administration will continue "exposing the horrific crimes of this dictatorship, pushing for accountability and supporting the Cuban people who deserve freedom from tyranny."
Constantín was detained on September 16 after attending a verbal summons at a unit of the National Police in Camagüey, and since then he has been held in custody.
Cuban authorities have accused him of "disobedience" for allegedly failing to appear for a migration summons on September 9. However, the journalist posted on Facebook that same day, stating that he went to the Immigration office in Vista Hermosa, but the agents had already left and informed him that he would be summoned again.
After initially staying at Villa María Luisa, the operations center of State Security in Camagüey, Constantín was transferred without prior notice to the maximum-security prison Kilo 7. His family was not informed of the transfer in advance.
A habeas corpus petition submitted to the Provincial People's Tribunal of Camagüey has faced delays and administrative obstacles. Lawyer Luis Orlando Bermúdez questioned the postponements and warned: "A resolution cannot contradict what the process law states."
From prison, Constantín relayed a brief message about his situation through his partner, journalist Alejandra García: "I am calm and remain determined."
International pressure for his release has increased in recent days. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) demanded his immediate release on Monday and documented that this is at least the 19th detention of Constantín related to his work.
Artur Romeu, director of the RSF office for Latin America, demanded that Constantín and his team "be able to continue their informative work without intimidation or arbitrary restrictions."
The Inter-American Press Association (IAPA), an organization for which Constantín serves as regional vice president for Cuba on its Commission on Freedom of the Press and Information, also condemned his arrest. Its president, Martha Ramos, stated that "the summons, detentions, surveillance, and house arrests against Constantín are part of a pattern of pressure aimed at obstructing his journalistic work."
The director of La Hora de Cuba has been banned from leaving the island since 2019, a measure that this year prevented him from traveling to Stockholm to receive the "Civil Rights Defender of the Year" award, awarded to his outlet along with the Georgian Netgazeti.
The case occurs amid repeated criticisms from Washington towards Havana regarding the situation of political prisoners and the restrictions on fundamental freedoms. In terms of press freedom, Cuba ranks 160th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2026 world classification, with a score of 29.22.
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