The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH) announced this Friday that it filed a formal complaint with the Provincial Prosecutor's Office of Camagüey, with a copy to the Military Prosecutor's Office, regarding alleged serious irregularities in the judicial process against independent journalist Henry Constantín Ferreiro, director of La Hora de Cuba, who has been deprived of liberty for exactly one month today.
According to the statement from the OCDH, dated in Madrid, the complaint revolves around two main irregularities that the organization demands the People's Supreme Court and the Attorney General of the Republic to investigate.
The first is the alleged discovery of a handmade knife among Constantín's belongings during a search at the maximum-security prison Kilo 7 in Camagüey, which took place on Thursday.
The journalist denies that the weapon belongs to him and suspects it was deliberately planted in his cell to incriminate him, pointing out that the officials went directly to the exact place where he supposedly kept the object.
The OCDH warns that there are indications that warrant an investigation into possible evidence tampering and the involvement of State Security agents in the events.
As a result of the discovery, the head of the penitentiary unit ordered that Constantín be sent to a punishment cell for at least 15 days, which will prevent him from receiving the family and conjugal visit scheduled for Monday, October 19, as well as the daily phone calls he had been authorized.
The second irregularity reported is the lack of confirmed location of their criminal file.
The Municipal Court of Camagüey announced that it returned the case to the Prosecutor's Office and later claimed to have sent it on October 9, but none of the consulted judicial and prosecutorial institutions have confirmed its receipt, which hampers the defense's work and prolongs procedural uncertainty.
For the OCDH, this situation fuels suspicions of possible hierarchical or political interference in the judges' decisions.
The organization directly calls on the Attorney General to ensure an objective, thorough, and pressure-free investigation that preserves evidence and identifies those responsible, and on the Supreme Court to clarify the irregularities in the handling of the case and to guarantee judicial independence.
The OCDH also demands immediate protective measures and guarantees of confidentiality for the person who filed the complaint, the family and acquaintances of the journalist, their lawyers, and potential witnesses.
Constantín was detained on September 16 after appearing at a police summons in Camagüey, accused of disobedience for allegedly failing to attend a migration appointment days earlier, a charge he denies and which, in any case, does not carry a prison sentence.
His case has prompted statements from the Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders, the Inter American Press Society, and the administration of Donald Trump, which called for his release.
"Judicial independence does not allow for political authorizations; criminal investigations do not admit fabricated evidence; and denouncing an illegal act can never justify reprisals," concludes the statement from OCDH.
Related videos:
Filed under: