Cuban journalist Yoani Sánchez, director of the independent digital newspaper 14Ymedio, was released after a nine‑hour detention in Havana on Thursday. Sánchez posted on her social media accounts that she had just returned home and thanked supporters for their solidarity, saying that the “arbitrary detention” she endured earlier that morning had been lifted thanks to the public pressure. She added that she would provide more details about the incident on Friday and would describe what she experienced in the “cells.” According to Sánchez, she was taken by the political police as she left her residence in the Nuevo Vedado neighborhood to shop at a local market. She was able to send a message to colleagues warning them of her situation. Her husband, Reinaldo Escobar, who also works for 14Ymedio, confirmed that Sánchez was freed nine hours after her arrest by the State Security. Sánchez, who received the Ortega y Gasset award in 2008, has been a prominent independent voice in Cuba. 14Ymedio noted that several members of its team have previously been detained, including Escobar, during high‑profile events such as President Barack Obama’s 2016 visit and Pope Francis’s 2015 trip. The detention of Sánchez follows a series of arrests of independent reporters in recent weeks. Camila Acosta and Adelth Bonne Gamboa were also intercepted by police in public places, held for several hours, and released after paying fines and receiving warnings.
Article source: De Ultimo Minuto | Image credit: De Ultimo Minuto