The trial against Anna Bensi and her mother, Caridad Silvente, scheduled to take place this Thursday at the People's Municipal Court of Havana East, has sparked a massive wave of solidarity on social media led by Cuban artists, influencers, and religious figures, who have expressed their support for the two women and, in several cases, denounced the persecution by Cuban authorities.
The case originated last March when Anna Bensi—a 21-year-old influencer—and her mother recorded and posted on social media the visit of a MININT official who arrived in civilian clothing at their home with a summons from State Security.
The authorities accused them of "acts against personal and family privacy," a crime that carries penalties of two to five years in prison.
Since March 25, both have been under house arrest and prohibited from leaving the country.
Last week, Anna Bensi made her position clear: "I will not be silenced", and she stated that she would record the video that started it all again.
The Goddess: "That is what the dictatorship fears."
One of the most powerful voices in recent hours has been that of the singer La Diosa, who posted a video on her social media urging people to flood the networks with the case.
"They are asking for two years in prison for a woman who simply expressed her thoughts. It's the same old story that all Cubans know about the dictatorship," he stated.
The singer also stated that the authorities offered to drop the charges in exchange for a public retraction: "They also asked her to retract all her videos so that they could completely dismiss the case."
The artist appealed to the entire Cuban community: “You, even if you have three followers, it is important that you speak out about this.”; and closed with a direct call: “Down with the dictatorship, down with Díaz-Canel, down with Raúl, down with the Castros. Long live a Free Cuba!".
Andy Vázquez: a message for those who "do the dirty work"
The Christian comedian Andy Vázquez took a different angle in his video on Instagram: instead of addressing the accused, he pointed directly at those involved in the process.
"My message is for the people who will be there doing that wrong against those two women, against those two innocents whom they all know to be so, playing their game and doing the dirty work for those who do not have the courage to stand in front of her, look her in the eyes, and engage with the truth," he declared.
Vázquez cited Isaiah 10:1-2 —"Woe to those who enact unjust laws and write oppressive decrees to deprive the poor of justice"— and recalled the case of the so-called judge Melody González Pedraza, who was deported from the United States in 2025 for her actions in Cuba.
The trial against Bensi and his mother is presided over by Judge Zamira Marrero Morgado, who has been criticized by activists for her connection to the trials of the 11-J demonstrators.
Kristoff Kriollo, Claudia Artiles, and Claudia Valdés
The influencer Kristoff Kriollo posted a video in which he rejected passivity in the face of repression: "These kinds of things cannot go unnoticed, as if nothing has happened. We can't just say, 'Look, the poor thing got pregnant,' and move on."
The influencer Claudia Artiles expressed her solidarity on Facebook: “Thinking differently and expressing our ideas should not become a reason for persecution. Today my message is one of solidarity, humanity, and hope. May they be free.”
The actress Claudia Valdés described the case on Instagram as "one of the injustices happening in Cuba, one of many," and characterized it as "horrible" that a 21-year-old young woman could face prison for recording a MININT agent who arrived in civilian clothes at her own home.
Iglesias and the Regime's Siege
The religious Sor Nadieska Almeida called on Christians to join mother and daughter in prayer and physical presence, while the Baptist Convention of Western Cuba rallied in support of both with a strong statement: “We cannot, we do not want to, and we will not leave them alone.”
As social media filled with messages of support, activists and independent journalists reported the day before that Cuban authorities maintained surveillance operations to prevent them from approaching the court.
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