An international human rights organization has formally identified four individuals jailed in Cuba as prisoners of conscience, urging their immediate release amid what it describes as a growing crackdown on dissent. The designation was announced Wednesday, highlighting cases where people are detained solely for peacefully expressing their views.
The group’s Americas director stated that these designations acknowledge the many who remain behind bars for exercising their rights, as well as those enduring constant surveillance and harassment. Among those named are a prominent dissident and an independent journalist, both sentenced in 2022 to lengthy prison terms for their involvement in protests three years ago.
One of the activists is serving his third sentence for advocacy work, having been arrested in a 2003 government sweep that targeted rights workers and journalists. According to press freedom monitors, that operation violated international standards. The other detainee helped found an opposition group composed of women related to those imprisoned during that earlier crackdown.
The rights organization noted a recent surge in repression, with authorities allegedly interrogating journalists for hours, confiscating their pay, and threatening them with imprisonment. Cuba ranks near the bottom globally in press freedom indexes. The group’s Americas director called on the international community to show solidarity and demand an end to the repression and harassment of dissidents.