Freedom of the press and expression are nil in Cuba, say journalists

The world celebrates May 3 as the day of freedom of the press and expression, but these rights practically do not exist in Cuba, said independent communicators of Radio Martí.

Confiscation of the means of work, limitations of Internet access, well-known legal spoofing letters and threats of imprisonment are some of the obstacles the press faces outside the party. in power on the island.

Adrián Quesada is an independent activist and communicator who resides in the city of Camagüey. "We have had arrests, [somos] threatened to go to jail if I continue to do this job (…) harbad us, "he said.

"One of the most used tools by the Cuban regime to silence independent journalism on the island is the letter of usurpation of legal capacity, which has the effect of disqualifying those who practice this profession without the permission of the government accumulates three of these letters.

"They say we do not have journalism degrees, we do not have references," the communicator said.

The journalist Augusto César San Martín, a resident of Havana, said that on the island "the freedom of expression is zero, Cuba goes through one of the most critical moments, there is a repressive escalation with total impunity for journalists ".

San Martín was a victim of a raid at home during which some of his working means were occupied. "Occupation, registration and detention do not appear [documentados] in any police station; it's impunity, "denounced the communicator.

Another measure of pressure exerted by the regime is the harbadment of the relatives of those who are carrying out the difficult task of revealing the reality that exists on the island.

"They know that there are journalists with whom the pressure simply does not progress, and then they use the method of fear, pressure on the family," San Martín said.

(Report by Ivette Pacheco for Radio Martí)