MIAMI, United States – The organization defending human rights and freedom of expression Article 19 condemned this Thursday the imprisonment, two years ago, of the Cuban journalist Lazaro Yuri Valle Roca and demanded his immediate release.
Valle Roca was arrested on June 15, 2021, following the publication of a video on the YouTube channel of the digital platform Delibera. The video showed a group of human rights activists who cast ballot papers on Zanja and Galeano streets in Havana the day before. The ballots called for free elections, democracy and an end to the criminalization of those who disagree with the government, as well as calls to protest.
As a result of Valle Roca’s coverage, the Cuban Attorney General’s Office charged and criminalized him for exercising free expression and sharing information about the protest. A Cuban court sentenced him on July 28, 2022 to five years in prison for “enemy propaganda” and “resistance.”
In a statement released ThursdayArticle 19 highlighted that the incarceration of Valle Roca not only underscores the criminalization and silencing of those who exercise their right to free expression in Cuba, but also how criminal law is misused as a tool of punishment and the institutional apparatus as a form of state violence against independent journalists.
Additionally, since his incarceration in 2021, Valle Roca’s health has deteriorated significantly. He has been denied even the basic measures of care, such as access to hot water for bathing, and is in poor medical care, putting his physical integrity at risk.
Article 19 recalls that Article 13 of the American Convention on Human Rights establishes that “everyone has the right to freedom of thought and expression.” The organization concludes that the detention of Valle Roca is, therefore, a flagrant violation of human rights, an abuse of state power, and an arbitrary practice in prosecuting and imprisoning a journalist for covering a social protest and sharing said information with the Cuban society.
Finally, Article 19 urged the Cuban State to comply with inter-American human rights standards and immediately release the journalist.
