Miami (July 1, 2025) – The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) condemns the detention of independent journalist Henry Constantín in Cuba, who has been accused of alleged contempt for carrying out his journalistic work. The organization demands his immediate release, guarantees for his physical integrity, and an end to all forms of harassment, censorship, and repression against those who exercise the right to freely report and express opinions.
Constantín, director of the digital outlet La Hora de Cuba, was arrested on Sunday, June 29, in the city of Camagüey. According to his outlet, he remains detained at the State Security Operations Unit, known as Villa María Luisa, accused of contempt for a post published on May 15 on La Hora de Cuba’s Facebook page, where he denounced the actions of a State Security agent. However, according to the news site 14ymedio, there may be other reasons behind his detention.
For more than seven years, the Cuban regime has imposed a travel ban on Constantín, preventing him from leaving the country. He has served as regional vice president for Cuba on the IAPA’s Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information since 2016. In December 2024, he was arbitrarily detained for a week. He has been subjected on multiple occasions to interrogations, surveillance, threats of arrest, and restrictions on internet access and telephone communications. In addition, his collaborators and family members have also been targets of intimidation.
“We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Henry Constantín, an end to the harassment, and respect for the right to inform and be informed. We will not stop denouncing the repressive behavior of Cuba, whose goal is to weaken and silence independent journalism,” said José Roberto Dutriz, president of the IAPA and CEO/General Director of La Prensa Gráfica of El Salvador. He added: “His detention constitutes a serious violation of human rights. Reporting is not a crime.”
For her part, Martha Ramos, president of the IAPA’s Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information and general editorial director of Organización Editorial Mexicana (OEM), emphasized: “Our colleague is not alone. We urge international human rights organizations, press organizations, and media outlets in general to reject this arbitrary detention and to draw attention to his case as an example of the risks Cuban journalists face in carrying out their work independently.” Ramos added: “Arresting a journalist for doing his job violates his fundamental rights and undermines the right of society as a whole to be informed.”
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.