Miami (December 1, 2025) – The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) strongly condemns the recent escalation of attacks, harassment and reprisals by the Cuban government against journalists and contributors of the independent digital outlet elTOQUE, actions that constitute serious violations of press freedom.
In recent days, the publication editorial team reported acts of intimidation, threats, and direct pressure, as well as defamation campaigns orchestrated by official media and accounts linked to state institutions. These practices add to a systematic pattern of persecution against independent journalists in Cuba, including surveillance, equipment confiscation, travel restrictions, and harassment of relatives, according to the IAPA reports.
elTOQUE reported that the official website Razones de Cuba published a few days ago a purported list of 18 executives from the outlet allegedly under investigation. The Cuban site claims that these executives reside abroad—mainly in the United States, Mexico, and Spain—and that they could “be extradited if they travel to a third country, be sought by law enforcement agencies, or, in the event of a change of government in their country of residence, also face extradition. If they travel to Cuba, they may go directly to prison.” The list includes individuals who have not worked with the publication for months or even years.
elTOQUE’s editor-in-chief, José Jasán Nieves, denounced that the regime is preparing a criminal case against members and contributors of the outlet following a state-led defamation campaign. He explained that on November 12, state television broadcast his personal information and home address with the purpose of harassment. And on November 5, about eight individuals carried out an act of repudiation against Nieves outside the Centro Cultural España in Mexico City, where he was participating as a guest at an international event.
The IAPA President Pierre Manigault reaffirmed the “organization’s solidarity with the elTOQUE team and with all Cuban independent press professionals who face reprisals for their work.” Manigault, Chairman at Evening Post Publishing Inc., Charleston, South Carolina, United States, called on the international community “to remain vigilant and continue demanding that the Cuban government respect inter-American standards on freedom of expression.”
Martha Ramos, chair of the IAPA’s Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information, called for “the immediate end to all forms of repression, defamation or persecution against journalists and independent media. Press freedom is not a privilege, but a fundamental right enshrined in the Inter-American Democratic Charter.” Ramos, editorial director of the Organización Editorial Mexicana (OEM), rejected “the fabrication of criminal cases and defamation campaigns as methods to silence critical voices,” and stressed the need to continue “exerting diplomatic pressure to protect journalists both inside and outside the island.”
Despite the harassment facing elTOQUE following its investigations into the country’s collapsing healthcare system and its energy and economic crisis, the outlet has pledged to continue practicing “rigorous journalism, public service, and counterpropaganda.”
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.