Commentary: Independent news agency under threat in Cuba

By Dana SantsIt appears that Cuban authorities are determined to eliminate one of the few independent sources of news on the island nation.That was the message conveyed to Roberto de Jesus Guerra Perez, the head of the independent Hablemos Press, by one of the agency’s reporters who is currently in prison.The reporter, Calixto Ramon Martinez Arias, was arrested earlier this month on charges of “disrespecting” Cuban President Raul Castro and his older brother, Fidel. Martinez has since required medical treatment for injuries sustained while in custody.While Martinez has been taken into custody on numerous occasions, this is the first time the reporter has actually faced charges. Guerra speculates that the Cuban security service want to take the journalist “out of circulation” temporarily.Independent journalists and human rights advocates are regularly detained in Cuba. The New York-based group Human Rights Watch says “political conformity” is enforced through “short-term detentions, beatings, public acts of repudiation, forced exile, and travel restrictions.”An editorial in the state-controlled newspaper Granma in late July described independent journalists, opposition parties and human rights defenders as “vulgar agents whom the United States government and its allies pay, supply and instruct. They betray their nation for a few coins.”Guerra himself is no stranger to confrontations with the authorities. He was arrested and beaten by police earlier this month.In a Twitter posting on Sept. 25, Guerra said, “Neither my phone nor Magaly’s (his wife) can receive calls. Only yesterday were we able to begin sending messages, but we can neither make nor receive calls.”It’s all part of the government’s attempt to limit access to Hablemos Press, he suspects.Hugo Landa, who heads the U.S.-based Cubanet website, says Hablemos Press plays an essential role by providing information about what is really happening in Cuba.“Hablemos Press has become a source of independent information that covers practically the entire island ... despite the government siege that makes this very difficult,” he said. “They are also able to quickly send their reports to the outside world, giving them a value of immediacy that is often lacking due to restricted Internet access in Cuba.”From his prison cell, Martinez Arias asks colleagues to remain calm, asking them simply to “continue their work as journalists.”— Dana Sants is an independent journalist in Mexico. This article first appeared on a website maintained by The Institute for War & Peace Reporting, a nonprofit organization that trains journalists in areas of conflict.