The independent journalist Henry Constantín Ferreiro, director of La Hora de Cuba, reported on Thursday that he will be placed in a punishment cell for at least 15 days in the maximum-security prison Kilo 7 in Camagüey, after prison officials claimed to have found a knife among his belongings.
Constantín suspects that the blade was deliberately placed in his cell to justify a new sanction against him.
According to The Hour of Cuba, the journalist conveyed what happened through a phone call made around 10:00 AM on this October 15.
During a search, prison officials allegedly found a knife in the pocket of one of the personal belongings. According to the account, it was said to be a homemade weapon, similar to those crafted by some inmates within the penitentiary.
The journalist suspects that the object was introduced the night before. "They went directly to the exact spot where he supposedly kept the weapon," the independent media outlet added.
The report states that Constantín learned that an agent identified as Frank had spoken the day before with Nelson, an inmate who occupies the bunk beneath where he sleeps.
According to the independent media, Major Dany, head of the prison unit, ordered the disciplinary measure and the initiation of the corresponding procedure for the alleged possession of bladed weapons.
The sanction will also have consequences for the journalist's contact with their loved ones.
Constantín will lose his right to family and conjugal visits scheduled for next Monday, October 19, as well as to the daily phone call that he had been authorized.
One month imprisoned for a charge of disobedience
The new sanction comes at a time when Constantín is about to complete a month in custody.
The journalist was detained on September 16 after attending a police summons in Camagüey. The authorities accuse him of alleged disobedience for purportedly failing to appear at a call from the Directorate of Identification, Immigration, and Foreign Affairs on September 9.
However, Constantín maintains that he did go to the office, but the officials had already left and informed him that he would receive a new summons.
After his arrest, he initially remained at Villa María Luisa, the State Security operations center in Camagüey, before being moved to pre-trial detention.
His defense reported difficulties in accessing the judicial file and filed a habeas corpus petition on September 21, which encountered delays and administrative hurdles.
On October 9, Alejandra García, a journalist and partner of Constantín, reported that State Security agents subjected her to interrogation after concluding a visit to Kilo 7.
According to García's account, the agents tried to pressure her and one of them warned her that it was in her hands to choose between "the easy way or the hard way."
International calls for his release
Constantín's case has drawn condemnation from press freedom advocacy organizations and international calls for his release.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) demanded his immediate release and documented that this is, at a minimum, the nineteenth detention of the journalist related to his reporting work.
The Inter American Press Association (IAPA), an organization where Constantín holds the regional vice presidency for Cuba on its Commission on Press Freedom and Information, has also condemned his imprisonment.
From the United States, the Donald Trump administration demanded his release through the Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Juan Pablo Segura.
Also, Cuban writers, journalists, artists, and communicators participated in an audiovisual campaign calling for their release under the slogan "Informing is not a crime."
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