Politics · Other · 6 hrs ago
Cuban prosecutors seek up to 10 years for two online critics
Cuban prosecutors are seeking eight years in prison for Ernesto Ricardo Medina and 10 years for Kamil Zayas.
The two men ran El4tico, a social media project filmed in a room at Medina’s home in Holguín, eastern Cuba.
Their short videos discussed the island’s crisis and criticized the government.
Authorities arrested them in February and seized phones, computers and filming equipment.
They face charges including propaganda against the constitutional order, defamation of institutions and inciting crimes.
The prosecutor says their content challenged Cuba’s political order and alleges they received small donations from abroad.
The case shows how online criticism can lead to serious criminal charges in Cuba; the source says the men are set to face an oral trial, but gives no trial date.
Cuban prosecutors are seeking prison terms of eight years for Ernesto Ricardo Medina and 10 years for Kamil Zayas over videos criticizing the government on social media.
The two men were charged with propaganda against the constitutional order, defamation of institutions and incitement to commit crimes.
They created the digital project El4tico, which published videos about Cuba’s crisis and questioned the regime.
Authorities arrested them in Holguín on February 6 and ordered them held in pretrial detention five days later.
- Who
- Cuban prosecutors are seeking sentences for online critics Ernesto Ricardo Medina and Kamil Zayas.
- What
- They face charges including propaganda against the constitutional order, defamation of institutions and incitement to commit crimes.
- When
- They were arrested on February 6. The indictment is dated September 15.
- Where
- Holguín, in eastern Cuba.
- Why
- The prosecution says their videos promoted views against Cuba’s political order and insulted government leaders and institutions.
Cuban prosecution
Medina and Zayas
Purpose of El4tico
Cuban prosecution
The prosecution says the project aimed to spread the men’s ideological views and encourage others to adopt them.
Medina and Zayas
The videos criticized the regime and discussed the island’s crisis.
Content
Cuban prosecution
The prosecution says the men urged people to reject the constitutional order and insulted leaders and political organizations.
Medina and Zayas
The videos questioned the regime.
Medina and Zayas recorded videos criticizing the regime for their El4tico social media audience.
State Security agents arrested Medina and Zayas in Holguín.
An order placed the two men in pretrial detention.
Prosecutor Fernando Valentín Sera Planas signed the indictment seeking eight years for Medina and 10 years for Zayas.
- Medina’s requested sentence
- 8 years
- Zayas’s requested sentence
- 10 years
- Arrest date
- February 6
- Pretrial detention order
- February 11
- Indictment date
- September 15
- Project
- El4tico
What people are saying
It’s only a search order
Tico, it’s the police
with the purpose of transmitting, through social networks, their ideological position and urging the rest of the population to adopt that way of thinking
A person who is friends with the family and who works for State Security had warned them that there was an open case
Sources
Related news
Thailand plans early-retirement program to reduce public workforce
Poland detains man over alleged plot against Tusk and defense minister
Enugu NDC rejects government claim about airport gathering
Pakistan declares emergency in province governed by Imran Khan's party
Court dismisses Aisha Achimugu’s N10 billion suit against EFCC
Pakistan detains 278 members of Imran Khan’s party under emergency rule
NTI centre managers begin month-long strike over unpaid allowances
Hitler Mussolini Simeon Flores elected mayor in Peru
Abbas postpones Palestinian elections until September 2027
Venezuela announces food plan and local economy law to target zero hunger
