Madrid Spain.- The United States Embassy in Havana denounced “the imprisonment and harassment of journalists in Cuba.”
“Freedom of expression is a human right,” said the consular headquarters this Sunday, coinciding with the start of the week of World Press Freedom Day (WPFD).
The diplomatic entity highlighted through Twitter the case of Cuban independent journalist Jorge Bello Domínguez, a protester of the July 11 in Güira de Melena, Artemisa, and sentenced last April to 15 years in prison for the crime of contempt. The US Embassy in Cuba called for “his immediate release.”
In the week of #WPFDwe denounce the imprisonment and harassment of journalists in #Cuba. Freedom of expression is a human right. We denounce the 15-year sentence of journalist Jorge Bello Domínguez for marching on #11J accused of “disrespect”. We ask for his immediate release. pic.twitter.com/TKSdmkPdeq
— Embassy of the United States in Cuba (@USEmbCuba) May 1, 2022
After the sentence was issued, his wife, Yuleydi López González, explained that during the trial the “bad work of the court” became evident, that it did not even take into account the witnesses presented by the defense of Bello Domínguez, a former collaborator of CubaNet.
The General Assembly of the United Nations established, since 1993, May 3 as World Press Freedom Day, to “promote the freedom of the press in the world by recognizing that a free, pluralistic and independent press is an essential component of any democratic society”.
NeverthelessOn the eve of this date, more than twenty independent journalists and activists on the island were summoned, threatened, detained or besieged by the Cuban political police, to prevent opposition actions in the May Day parade, which took place this Sunday , summoned by the regime.
Recently, the Inter American Press Association (Yep) in its Mid-Year Meeting report reflected that in recent months most of the people related to the work of the independent press, and hundreds of Cubans who posted critical content against the regime, suffered police harassment, were summoned for interrogation and received legal threats.
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