LIMA, Peru – The young Cuban Kamil Zayas, a member of the independent audiovisual project El4tico, anticipated his arrest by the State Security of the Cuban regime, an event that actually occurred last Friday and under suspicion he left a statement.
“Just a few days ago Kamil, anticipating an arrest, had left me this statement so that it could be disclosed on his behalf (there was also a video that he did not have time to finish),” shared Paula Amador Lobón on Facebook.
Amador Lobón, related to the detained young man and the audiovisual project, commented that she had waited 24 hours to make the statement public, in the hope that Zayas would be released.
“Kamil is not a criminal and State Security knows it,” he stressed.
Statement by Kamil Zayas
«If you are seeing or reading this, it is because they finally found a way to trap me, to try to put the temporary gag on me.
It is necessary to know that I am not arrested for stealing, for assault, for trafficking or for any common crime. They arrest me for the only “crime” that a dictatorship does not tolerate: daring to look straight and say out loud what we all notice: its glaring faults, its chronic inefficiencies, its systematic injustices and the oppression that crushes the dignity of an entire people.
I have always spoken without hate, without polarization, because the central idea has been to promote critical thinking.
I have only pointed out what is incorrect, what is humiliating, what degrades human beings. And that, apparently, is unforgivable.
In the worst moment of crisis that this country has ever faced, the State of course chooses to tighten the screw, close the narrative until it suffocates it, and increase the level of repression.
As someone who fears infinitely more to take responsibility for his own mistakes than to drag an entire people into the abyss out of pure pride and arrogance. That is the true face of the power that is said “of the people.”
The most ironic thing is that they silence those of us who do exactly what they themselves teach in their books and speeches: raise our voices against injustice, challenge what oppresses, defend that the people think freely. Because those are their heroes… until someone really imitates them. Then you automatically become an enemy.
I am no one special, nor a leader, nor essential. I am just another Cuban, a small piece in an immense cause: that of wanting to live with dignity, that of being able to tell the truth without fear. That of a Cuba, where saying what you think does not cost your freedom or your life.
Thousands—millions of Cubans—feel the same, although they remain silent for now. And keeping me quiet does not silence the tide. Because a cell does not extinguish a collective consciousness that has already awakened.
I declare that this detention is arbitrary, cowardly, foreseeable. I demand respect for due process, immediate information about where I am and how I am, and my release without conditions, because I have not committed any crime other than thinking with my own head.
To my family, to my friends, to those who have trusted me: thank you for being there. Do not give in to fear. Speak louder. Be worthy. Because history does not forgive those who remain silent for comfort.
To those who repress: keep pushing if that gives you peace. But know that every gag you put in only accelerates the inevitable. Forced silence doesn’t fix anything; It only rots the wound more. The Cuban people are no longer satisfied with crumbs or stories. He deserves—demands—something much better.
And know that justice, truth and freedom always come. Even if it takes, even if it hurts. And they will arrive.
With a clear conscience and head held high, Kamil”
The arrest of Kamil Zayas
The NGO Justicia 11J reported this Friday the arbitrary arrest of the young Kamil Zayas, a member of the independent audiovisual project El4tico, after a raid carried out by State Security agents in the house where the contents of the project are produced.
According to the complaint published by Justicia 11J on Facebook, the operation included the invasion of security forces with a “search warrant” in the property that functions as a recording set. At the time of publication, Zayas’ whereabouts were unknown. Relatives and friends were trying to obtain official information about his situation.
The organization also warned that Ernesto Medina and his wife Doris Santiesteban, also members of El4tico, are at risk “in the face of the repressive deployment” associated with the reported operation.
In its publication, Justicia 11J describes El4tico as “a dissident space within Cuba” that has more than 50,000 followers on Instagram. According to the NGO, from a room in the province of Holguín, the members of the project carry out critical social and political analyzes aimed directly at power.
The raid and arrest of Zayas confirm “the regime’s systematic harassment against freedom of expression” and warn about the risk for other young people linked to digital activism, Justice 11J reported. The organization mentions the case of Anna Bensiwhose work—according to the organization—has inspired others to use the language of social networks to make their reality visible and demand political changes.
In the same statement, Justice 11J formulated three specific demands: “immediate information on the whereabouts of Kamil Zayas”, “guarantees for his physical integrity and respect for his rights” and “the cessation of harassment against freedom of expression.”
