Josué Moreno, a 20-year-old Cuban and childhood friend of Anna Sofía Benítez Silvente, known as Anna Bensi, was arrested after attending to support her on the day of her trial in Havana and later received a fine of 600 Cuban pesos, his family publicly reported.
The report began on social media. Aymee Corominas, the young man's aunt, posted a photo of her nephew on Facebook and warned that he had been detained hours after accompanying Bensi around the courthouse.
"This boy is my nephew Josué, and if we talk about Anna Bensi, who has a significant impact on social media, it is my duty to mention him," wrote Corominas in a Facebook post.
According to what was explained, Josué was supporting Anna Bensi throughout the afternoon of October 1 during the police operation around the People's Municipal Court of Havana East.
"When the cameras were turned off, that night he was arrested," the family member reported.
At that moment, the family claimed to be unaware of the young man's whereabouts and requested help to spread the case.
Hours later, Corominas herself updated the situation in the comments of her post: Josué had been released. The woman also reported that she had just given an interview to journalist Rolando Nápoles to provide more details about what happened.
Josué's aunt later recounted the entire story
In a subsequent interview with Rolando Nápoles for Martí Noticias, Corominas expanded the complaint.
According to his testimony, police officers went to Josué's home during the night after the young man had participated in the group of people who went to support Anna Bensi.
The family asserted that their nephew had not engaged in violent acts or committed any provocations, and that his involvement consisted of accompanying and supporting his friend.
After his release, as Corominas explained, the authorities imposed a fine of 600 CUP.
As of the time this note was written, no copy of that fine or an official document detailing the specific infraction that Josué allegedly committed has been publicly released.
For this reason, both the circumstances of the arrest and the fine are presented in this information as part of the direct testimony from their family.
Josué and Anna Bensi have known each other for years
Josué's presence in court was not a coincidence.
According to Corominas, the young man and Anna Bensi have known each other since childhood, grew up in Alamar, Havana, attended school together, and maintain a friendship.
Because of that personal connection, Josué decided to go to the court on October 1 to support Bensi on a day that was particularly delicate for her and her mother.
Who is Anna Bensi and why was she being judged?
Anna Sofía Benítez Silvente, known on social media as Anna Bensi, is a young Cuban content creator and Christian activist who has gained prominence for her critical posts regarding the political, economic, and social realities of Cuba.
The legal proceedings against her and her mother, Caridad Silvente, began after both recorded and shared on social media a meeting with an agent from the Ministry of the Interior who came to their home to deliver a summons.
The authorities ended up prosecuting them for the crime of "acts against personal and family privacy".
On October 1st, the People's Municipal Court of Havana del Este found both guilty and imposed two years of restrictions on liberty.
CiberCuba reported on the sentencing of Anna Bensi and her mother, as well as on the arrests, surveillance, and restrictions reported around the court that day.
The pressure also extended to those who tried to support her
The case of Josué Moreno was not the only incident reported surrounding the trial.
During that day, several religious leaders, activists, and friends of Bensi reported having suffered detentions, surveillance, or restrictions that prevented them from reaching the court.
The evangelical pastor Rolando Fidel Pérez Lora, known as the Herald of Christ, was arrested while trying to attend the trial.
The Christian activist David Espinosa Martínez was also arrested.
Days later, another case emerged concerning one of the young individuals who managed to approach the court.
Anthony Martínez, a resident of San Antonio de los Baños, received a police summons to report to a unit in Guanajay after having also gone to support Anna Bensi and her mother.
CiberCuba reported on the summons of Anthony Martínez, who publicly stated that the agent who handed him the document did not explain the reason for the call.
The family reports that the pressures continued after the release
According to what Corominas later recounted during his interview with Rolando Nápoles, Josué's release would not have ended the pressure on the young man.
The family stated that the authorities continued to call and harass him after his release.
Corominas states that his nephew is affected and concerned after what happened, and believes that these actions aim to intimidate those who publicly express solidarity with critics of the Cuban government.
The woman stated that she will continue to report any new actions against her nephew.
There is no official explanation regarding the detention or the fine
So far, no explanation has been made public by the Cuban authorities regarding the specific legal reason for the detention of Josué Moreno or the 600 CUP fine reported by his family.
There is also no public knowledge of an open criminal case against him.
The absence of official documentation necessitates a clear distinction between the facts reported by the family and those that would require documentation or an account from the authorities to be fully established.
What was publicly documented was that Aymee Corominas reported in real-time the detention of her nephew, published his photograph, requested help to locate him, and later confirmed in the same post that he had been released.
His testimony following Martí Noticias now adds more details about the arrest, the fine, and the pressures that, according to the family, continued afterwards.
Related videos:
Filed under: