Independent journalist Yunia Figueredo reported that State Security agents threatened to prevent a surgical operation for her younger daughter if she continues practicing independent journalism in Cuba.
The threat occurred this Tuesday during an interrogation at Villa Marista, the State Security headquarters in Havana, where she was taken along with her husband, the writer and journalist Frank Correa, after both were arrested in Jaimanitas.
According to Figueredo, as reported to the Cuban Institute for Freedom of Expression and Press (ICLEP), an officer identified as Major Hilda warned him: "You will never be able to operate if you keep insisting on counter-revolution."
The agent also allegedly threatened to jeopardize her eldest daughter's university enrollment while questioning her about the open case against her for her supposed involvement in the protests against the blackouts in the Havana neighborhood of Jaimanitas.
The couple was intercepted around 8:30 in the morning by a patrol officer in the Playa municipality, as initially reported by the journalist on her Facebook profile. The officers justified the detention due to Figueredo's absence from a mandatory police appearance on October 10.
At Villa Marista, they were separated and interrogated individually. Figueredo stated that she spent about five and a half hours without access to water or a bathroom, while she was unaware of what was happening with her husband.
Correa, for his part, reported that he spent more than two hours locked in a cell without a roof, known as a "solera." He also reported threats of immigration restrictions and pressure for both of them to abandon independent journalism and leave Cuba, according to statements collected by the independent media CubaNet.
The two were released around 2:30 in the afternoon, but they did not manage to get home until five o'clock due to difficulties with public transport. During that time, their daughters were left alone at home, without electricity or phone communication.
This is not the first time the couple has reported such actions. The ICLEP documented 22 incidents of harassment against both of them between April 2025 and September 2026, including surveillance, detentions, and restrictions on communications.
Among the background details is their detention in July 2025, when they were heading to a reception at the United States Embassy and remained disconnected for over 16 hours.
The Cuban Observatory of Freedom of Expression (OCLE), part of ICLEP, documented the new case under the indicators of "Arbitrary Detention" and "Attacks, threats and/or psychological aggression," and demanded "that no medical needs of her daughters be used as a tool for political blackmail."
In response to the ongoing harassment against the family, ICLEP requested on September 9th precautionary measures from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to protect Figueredo, Correa, and their two daughters.
The petition, submitted in accordance with Article 25 of the CIDH Regulations, seeks to ensure personal integrity and to put an end to detentions, threats, restrictions on movement, and reprisals related to the exercise of independent journalism.
Despite the reported threats, Figueredo reaffirmed their decision to stay in Cuba and continue their work
"Neither do we give up, nor do we leave."
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