Madrid/The Cuban Observatory for Human Rights (Ocdh) demands that the “serious irregularities” be investigated in the process against the independent journalist Henry Constantín Ferreiro, imprisoned since last September 16 in Camagüey. The organization, based in Madrid, warned of a possible criminal setup and demanded the intervention of the Supreme People’s Court and the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic to clarify the facts.
The formal complaint of the Ocdh appeared before the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office of Camagüey, with a copy to the Military Prosecutor’s Office, in which it asks to clarify the alleged discovery of a knife handicraft among the journalist’s belongings, during a search at the Kilo 7 prison. Constantín, director of Cuba Timedenies any responsibility and suspects that the weapon was planted to incriminate him.
According to the Ocdh, there are indications that justify investigating possible manipulation of evidence and the participation of State Security agents. Constantín now faces a sanction of penitentiary isolation as a result of these events, of at least 15 days, which was notified to him this Thursday and which will prevent him from receiving the family and conjugal visit scheduled for Monday, October 19.
The organization also denounces the lack of confirmed location of his criminal record as another irregularity. The Municipal Court of Camagüey reported that it had returned it to the Prosecutor’s Office and then assured that it was sent on October 9, but none of the judicial and fiscal institutions consulted have confirmed having received it. For the Ocdh, this situation makes the work of the defense difficult, prolongs the uncertainty of the process and fuels suspicions of possible political interference in the judges’ decisions.
There are indications that justify investigating possible manipulation of evidence and the participation of State Security agents.
The Observatory asks the Prosecutor’s Office for an objective and exhaustive investigation, free of pressure, that preserves the evidence and identifies those responsible. He asks the Supreme Court to clarify the irregularities in the processing of the case and guarantee the independence of the judges. “No authority can condition judicial decisions or cover up illegal actions,” the statement maintains.
The organization also demands protection measures against possible reprisals, threats or intimidation directed at the person who filed the complaint, the journalist’s family and friends, his lawyers and possible witnesses, with a guarantee of confidentiality. If responsibilities are proven, ask that disciplinary files be opened and, if there are indications of a crime, criminal proceedings.
The Ocdh also demands guarantees for the physical and psychological integrity of Constantín, the immediate location of the file and the urgent review of his provisional detention.
This Friday, the independent journalist will be deprived of liberty for a month in Camagüey, accused of disobedience for allegedly failing to appear at a police summons. He maintains that he did come, but that the agents had already left.
“No authority can condition judicial decisions or cover up illegal actions”
At the beginning of October, the Municipal Court returned the file to the Prosecutor’s Office without opening a trialwhile the journalist’s lawyer requested a modification of the precautionary measure so that he could await the trial in freedom. Despite this being an accusation of disobedience, which does not carry a prison sentence, Constantín remains in provisional prison and now faces a new disciplinary measure that further restricts his contacts with the outside world.
Constantín’s imprisonment has led to statements by international organizations defending press freedom, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which have demanded his release. The journalist is also regional vice president of the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) and has a long history of arrests and harassment for his reporting work.
