The Cuban regime detained Christian activist David Espinosa Martínez this Thursday and allegedly transferred him to La Lisa, in order to prevent him from reaching the Municipal People's Court of Havana del Este, in Cojímar, where the trial against influencer Anna Sofía Benítez Silvente —known as Anna Bensi— and her mother, Caridad Silvente, is scheduled for 10:00 AM.
The complaint was published by the activist and leader of Citizenship and Liberty, Carolina Barrero, on her Facebook profile, who warned that the repressive operation began the night before and extended to independent journalists and civil groups.
Police operation since Wednesday
Since Wednesday, regime agents have surrounded the members of the collective Fuera de la Caja and independent journalists such as Camila Costa and Yoani Sánchez. According to Barrero, the goal was to prevent them from attending the hearing or reporting on what happens in the court.
Barrero was emphatic: "The religious leader David Espinosa has been detained and presumably transferred to La Lisa to prevent him from attending the trial. The young people from Fuera de la Caja, as well as numerous journalists and activists, including Camila Costa and Yoani Sánchez, are also being besieged to stop them from attending the hearing or reporting on what happens there."
The activist concluded her post with a warning in rejection of the operation: “Accompanying is not a crime. Informing isn't either.”
Espinosa anticipated that they would arrest him
Espinosa Martínez, 38 years old and known on social media as @DavidSiloetano, had publicly announced his intention to attend the trial.
On Wednesday, he wrote on Facebook: “I know it's very likely that I won't be able to get in. If God allows it, I will be out there, and surely I won't be alone.”
He also explained how he would respond to any attempts at intimidation. “I will never respond to any provocation. No harmful words will leave my lips, nor will there be an attempt at aggression. I will not repay evil with evil.”, he wrote on his social media.
Espinosa Martínez, now in custody and unable to reach the court, had left his conviction written down: "I know that the Lord will grant victory. I know that Anna, Cary, and all my close brothers and friends will do what needs to be done in this dark moment."
Espinosa Martínez had previously reported pressures from State Security. In April, he was summoned along with his wife, Laidy García, and, as he reported at the time, agents attempted to recruit him as an informant.
In May, he was summoned again under the pretext of an "interview regarding possible illegality."
The case that originated the trial
The process began in March 2026, when Anna Bensi and her mother recorded and shared on social media the visit of a subofficer from MININT, identified as Yoel Leodán Rabaza Ramos, who arrived dressed in civilian clothes at their home in Alamar carrying a summons from State Security.
The authorities charged them with "acts against personal and family intimacy" under Article 393 of the Penal Code, which provides for penalties of two to five years in prison. Since March 25, mother and daughter have been under house arrest and prohibited from leaving the country.
The process is presided over by Judge Zamira Marrero Morgado, pointed out by activists due to her involvement in the 11-J trials, particularly for having been part of the court in one of the cases against 129 protesters in December 2021, where sentences of up to 30 years were requested for sedition.
Days before, Anna Bensi was emphatic: "I will not be silenced." According to the defendants' claims, the authorities offered to drop the charges in exchange for a public retraction of all their videos, an offer they rejected.
Wave of solidarity with Anna Bensi and her mother
In recent hours, artists, influencers, religious figures, and activists have publicly expressed their support for Anna Bensi and her mother.
The singer La Diosa called to flood social media with the case: "They are asking for two years in prison for a woman who simply expressed her thoughts. The same old story that all Cubans know with the dictatorship."
It also revealed that young Anna Bensi was "asked to retract all her videos in order to completely drop the lawsuit."
The Western Baptist Convention of Cuba expressed its support for those accused: "We cannot, we do not want to, and we will not leave them alone."
Related videos:
Filed under: