Miami (October 19, 2026) — The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) condemns the new punitive measures imposed on Cuban independent journalist Henry Constantín, director of the digital news outlet La Hora de Cuba and regional vice chair of the organization’s Press Freedom and Information Commission, who has been imprisoned since September 16 at Kilo 7 maximum-security prison in Camagüey. The IAPA demanded his immediate release and held Cuban authorities responsible for his physical and psychological well-being.
According to La Hora de Cuba, Constantín was sentenced to at least 15 days in confinement in a punishment cell after prison officials claimed to have found a homemade knife among his belongings during a search conducted on October 15. The journalist suspects the weapon was deliberately planted to incriminate him and justify further disciplinary measures against him.
In a phone call from prison, Constantín reported that officials went directly to the location where the knife was supposedly found. The punishment also includes the suspension of family and conjugal visits scheduled for October 19, as well as the loss of his authorized daily phone call.
The journalist has been detained since September 16, when he appeared for a police summons in Camagüey. Authorities accuse him of alleged disobedience for failing to appear in response to an earlier summons on September 9, an accusation he rejects.
“The decision to send Henry Constantín to a punishment cell under circumstances that raise serious suspicions marks another alarming episode of harassment against a journalist who should never have been imprisoned in the first place,” said Pierre Manigault. “Cuban authorities must immediately put an end to these abusive measures, safeguard his physical and psychological well-being, and secure his unconditional release,” said Manigault, president of Evening Post Publishing Inc., based in Charleston, South Carolina.
IAPA Press Freedom and Information Commission Chair Martha Ramos expressed similar concerns. “We are especially concerned that, in addition to isolating Constantín, authorities are seeking to deprive him of contact with his family and access to phone calls. These measures increase his vulnerability and could constitute an additional form of pressure and punishment. We demand an independent investigation into allegations that a weapon was planted among his belongings and that his rights are fully respected. Henry Constantín must be released immediately,” said Ramos, director of Organización Editorial Mexicana (OEM).
The IAPA recalled that Constantín has been subjected to repeated arrests, harassment, and restrictions because of his journalistic work. His imprisonment and the new disciplinary measures heighten concerns about the conditions under which independent journalists carry out their work in Cuba.
The IAPA is a non-profit organization dedicated to defending and promoting freedom of the press and expression in the Americas. It comprises more than 1,300 publications from the western hemisphere and is based in Miami, Florida, United States.
