Cuban writers of concern to PEN
March 2003 Crackdown: The Black Spring
The following 22 writers, journalists and librarians were among 35 sentenced during one-day trials held on 3-4 April 2003 under laws governing the protection of the Cuban state. They were arrested as part of a crackdown on alleged dissidents that began on 18 March 2003 and in which 75 people were detained and tried. The one-day court hearings were held behind closed doors and there was insufficient time for the accused to put together a cogent defence. The accusations focused on the alleged conspiratorial dealings between the defendants and James Cason, the chief of the US Special Interests Section in Havana. Shortly before the crackdown Cason had considerably stepped up his contacts with Cubans who had voiced opposition to Fidel Castro.
Charges: All of the detained were tried under Article 91 of the Penal Code and Law 88. Article 91 deals with charges of acting against "the independence of the territorial integrity of the state", the maximum penalty for which is death. Law 88 is a catch-all piece of legislation that has been used in the past as a means of sending writers and journalists to prison. It allows for prison sentences of up to 20 years for those found guilty of committing "acts that, in line with imperialist interests, are aimed at subverting the internal order of the Nation and destroying its political, economic, and social system."
The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights has formally declared that all those sentenced in the March 2003 clampdown are being detained arbitrarily.
Appeals: All those sentenced lodged appeals with the Tribunal Supremo Popular (Supreme Popular Tribunal) in April 2003 but none were successful. However, since April 2004, 14 of those have been conditionally released, seemingly for health reasons.
Background: An official statement on the Cuban government website (www.cubagov.cu) explicitly condemned the alleged actions of James Cason and, by definition, those with whom he allegedly conspired. The fact that the statement went on to mention the so-called 'Five Heroes' - Cuban nationals who infiltrated Miami-based anti-Castro organisations - suggested that the arrests may also have been made as a reprisal, and as a potential bargaining chip to obtain their release. Indeed, on 18 December 2008, whilst answering a reporter's question about the possible release of political prisoners in Cuba, Raul Castro said he would consider releasing some of the prisoners as a gesture of goodwill in opening talks with the new administration, but that the US would need to reciprocate: "We will send those prisoners you talk about [to the United States] with their families. But give us back our Five Heroes. That is a gesture on both parts." The five were convicted in 2001 for spying on Cuban exiles, but are considered heroes in Cuba.
Health concerns: The majority of the imprisoned writers, journalists, and librarians are suffering from health complaints caused or exacerbated by the harsh conditions and treatment they are exposed to in prison. Despite their deteriorating health status, access to adequate medical treatment is often limited.
Pedro ARGUELLES MORAN
Pedro Arguelles Moran, Director of the Cooperative of Independent Avilena Journalists (Cooperativa Avilena de Periodistas Independientes - CAPI) was sentenced to 20 years in prison under Law 88 in April 2003.
Arguelles was reported to have been freed on 29 November 2004, but it was later discovered that he had merely been transferred to the Combinado del Este prison. In 2005, he was reported to be suffering from inflammation of the liver and from cataracts in both eyes that had rendered him practically blind. He was transferred to Canaleta prison in Ciego de Avila in November 2005, where he is thought still to be held. In April 2007 he was hospitalised because of cataracts in both eyes, and was later diagnosed with severe arthritis and a benign prostate tumour. He reportedly went on hunger strike on 16 June 2007 to gain access to the medicines brought by his family, and again on 19 September 2008 in protest at periodicals being withheld from fellow writer Adolfo Fernandez Sainz. Arguelles is an Honorary Member of English PEN.
Victor Rolando ARROYO CARMONA
Author, journalist and librarian, Victor Rolando Arroyo Carmona, was sentenced to 26 years in prison under Article 91.
Arroyo has staged a number of protests against prison conditions and as a result has been held in "punishment cells" on at least four occasions since his imprisonment. Several reports in 2005 suggested that he had suffered threats in prison and inadequate medical care. Arroyo suffers from pulmonary emphysema, and in June 2007 it was reported that Arroyo had had various skin growths surgically removed in the last year. Furthermore, he reportedly suffers from both dental and high blood pressure problems which the prison authorities have refused to treat. On 13 February 2008, Arroyo's wife reported that he was suffering from increased harassment, including being threatened with beatings and repression if he did not comply with the government's re-education programme. In March 2008 it was reported that Arroyo had been diagnosed with diabetes and hypertension, and that his pulmonary emphysema had grown worse due to other prisoners' cigarette smoke and the lack of adequate ventilation in the prison.
In August 2008, Arroyo was reportedly tranferred from Holguin Prison, eastern Cuba, where he had been held since October 2005, to Kilo 5 prison in Pinar del Rio, which means that he is now closer to his family. Arroyo's wife reported that he had been attacked by other prisoners in late 2008. Arroyo is an Honorary Member of Finnish PEN.
Mijail BARZAGA LUGO
Journalist Mijail Barzaga Lugo, brother of the well-known human rights activist Belkis Barzaga Lugo, was sentenced to 15 years in prison under Law 88.
In March 2008, it was reported that Barzago Lugo was sharing a prison cell with 16 other prisoners and was only allowed family visits every six weeks. According to his sister, the authorities allowed the family to give him medicine but not always food during their visits.
In August 2008, Barzaga was reportedly transferred from a maximum security prison in Matanzas province to 1580 prison in Havana, which means that he is now closer to his family. Barzaga Lugo is an Honorary Member of Netherlands PEN.
Juan Adolfo FERNANDEZ SAINZ
Journalist Juan Adolfo Fernandez Sainz was sentenced to 15 years under Law 88.
Fernandez went on hunger strike on at least three occasions in 2003 in protest against the prison conditions. In February 2005, he was reported to be suffering from emphysema, a cyst in one of his kidneys, a hernia, prostatic hypertrophia (Grade 1), generalised arthritis and high blood pressure. In January 2006, Fernandez' wife and daughter reported that he was suffering from high blood pressure and circulation problems and had lost weight. On 24 August 2007 it was reported that Fernandez' health was in further decline. On 19 September 2008, alongside prisoners of conscience Pedro Arguelles Morán and Antonio Dias Sanchez, Fernández Sainz began a hunger strike, protesting against the withholding of religious materials, personal letters and photos that had been brought to the prison by his wife. They brought the hunger strike to a successful end on the morning of the 23 September, when the authorities of Canaleta Prison in Ciego de Avila handed over religious literature which had been withheld from Fernández Sainz since 16 September. In late 2008, it was reported that his wife had to travel 400 kilometres for their two-monthly visits. He is an Honorary Member of English PEN and Catalan PEN.
Miguel GALVAN GUTIERREZ
Journalist (Havana Press Agency) and coordinator of the Varela Project, sentenced to 26 years under Article 91 and Law 88.
In August 2003, Galvan was reportedly threatened by the Aguica prison governor with a transfer to Guantanamo prison, over 500 miles away from his family, if he continued passing news to the outside about prison conditions. In May 2004, he was transferred to Block 10 of Aguica prison, which houses prisoners considered highly dangerous, including those serving life sentences for murder. On 21 May 2006, it was reported that Galvan had been kept incommunicado since October 2005, and that he had been deprived of numerous rights, including family visits, sunlight, letters and religious observance. On 15 June 2007, Galvan was reportedly transferred to Guanajay prison in Havana, where conditions were reportedly better. However, it was reported in March 2008 that Galvan continues to suffer solitary confinement, inadequate medical care and restrictions on family visits. Although this treatment has in the past been said to be linked to his reporting on prison conditions, Galvan continues to file stories from jail, including an August 2008 article on the allegedly abysmal work conditions of prisoners used as free labour in a local shoe factory. He is an Honorary Member of Sydney PEN.
Julio Cesar GALVEZ RODRIGUEZ
Freelance journalist Julio Cesar Galvez Rodriguez was sentenced to 15 years under Law 99.
He is said to suffer from high blood pressure and arthrosis, a degenerative disease of the joints. In early 2004, he received surgery for the removal of kidney stones. In June 2005, he was said to be suffering from severe pains due to his arthrosis and various other ailments. On 14 September 2007, Galvez was transferred to the military hospital at Combinado del Este prison, where he continues to be held. He is said to have developed serious respiratory problems while in prison, and his family are only allowed to visit him once a month. In December 2008 it was reported that he continues to write from prison. Galvez is an Honorary Member of English PEN.
Jose Luis GARCIA PANEQUE
Journalist (Agencia Libertad press agency) and librarian (Carlos J Finlay Library) Jose Luis Garcia Paneque was sentenced to 24 years under Law 88 and Article 91.
Garcia Paneque is reported to have suffered mental illness during his imprisonment, and was held in a prison psychiatric unit between November 2004 and November 2005. He suffers from acute intestinal illness which has led to malnutrition, diarrhoea and excessive weight loss. He is also said to have suffered from chronic pneumonia and a kidney tumour. In late 2007 it was further reported that he may have a duodenal ulcer. In January 2008, it was reported that Garcia Paneque's health had seriously deteriorated as a result of poor intestinal absorption, a condition for which he was neither receiving an appropriate diet nor adequate medical treatment. His wife and children reportedly fled to the USA in June 2007 due to continuous harassment. As of December 2008, Garcia Paneque is still being held at Las Mangas prison, where he is reportedly allowed one family visit every 45 days. He is an Honorary Member of English PEN.
Ricardo Severino GONZALEZ ALFONSO
Ricardo Severino Gonzalez Alfonso, President of the Manuel Marquez Sterling Journalists Society, director of De Cuba magazine, poet and librarian (Jorge Manach Library), was sentenced to 20 years under Article 91.
González has reportedly suffered numerous health problems since his imprisonment, including hypertension, arthritis, a heart condition, chronic bronchitis, digestive and circulatory problems and allergies. He is understood to have had three operations and also to have spent some time in a prison psychiatric ward in 2005. González was hospitalised from September 2007 to January 2008 and continued to be in very poor health once returned to his cell. Despite this he was reportedly denied medical treatment on several occasions in 2008, including not receiving the medicine he had been prescribed for his heart condition. As of early December 2008, González was said to be sharing a cell with 36 non political prisoners, which had reportedly flooded on several occasions, worsening the already unsanitary conditions. González has reportedly been granted a humanitarian visa to travel to Costa Rica, but the Cuban authorities have refused to allow him to leave the island. He is an Honorary Member of German and Finnish PEN Centres.
Léster Luis GONZÁLEZ PENTÓN
Léster Luis Gonzalez Penton, an independent journalist (Movimiento Democracia) and member of human rights movement ALFA-32 February 1977, is the youngest of the 75 dissidents arrested in March 2003. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison under Article 91.
He has reportedly been diagnosed with chronic gastritis, sinusitis and back pain, and anxiety, caused by being separated from his young daughter. He went on hunger strike in 2004, 2005 and 2006 against poor prison conditions and is reportedly harassed and threatened by prison guards on a regular basis. He has been hospitalised on several occasions and had a number of operations in 2008. He is an Honorary Member of English, Sydney and American PEN Centres.
Iván HERNÁNDEZ CARRILLO
Iván Hernandez Carrillo, a journalist for the Agencia Patria news agency and librarian at the Juan Gualberto Gómez Library was sentenced to 25 years in prison under Law 88.
Hernández reportedly suffers from hypertension and gastritis and has frequently complained about prison conditions. He went on hunger strike in 2003 to demand decent food and medicine for seriously ill prisoners and again in 2007 in protest at mistreatment by guards. In 2008 he reported being denied access to visits, letters and newspapers and being threatened and attacked by other prisoners. He also complained about unsanitary conditions, rotten food and dirty water. He is an Honorary Member of Catalán and Scottish PEN Centres.
Normando HERNÁNDEZ GONZÁLEZ
Normando Hernandez Gonzalez, director of the news agency Camagüey College of Independent Journalists (Colegio de Periodistas Independientes de Camagüey) and a freelance journalist (Cubanet), was sentenced 25 years under Article 91 and other provisions of the Criminal Code, reportedly for criticising the government on Radio Martí.
Hernández has reportedly suffered numerous medical complaints since his imprisonment, including hypertension, heart, stomach, digestive and respiratory problems and significant weight loss. Latterly he has also experienced mental health issues related to his long illness and ill treatment in prison. It is reported that Hernández has also suffered maltreatment, including assaults by staff and harassment and attacks by other inmates, and being held with prisoners with acute psychiatric disorders, some of whom are extremely dangerous.
Hopes of Hernández' imminent release were dashed when on 7 May 2008 he was discharged from Carlos J. Finlay military hospital in Havana, where he had been receiving treatment since September 2007, and returned to Kilo 7 prison. The move came without explanation and in secret. Following the transfer, Hernández was reportedly kept in solitary confinement and in very poor conditions, with inadequate food and medical attention. In June 2008, his wife stated that Hernández was being held in the prison's infirmary, and at the end of 2008 said that her request for medical parole that July had been met with no response. Hernandez González is an Honorary Member of English and American PEN Centres, and in 2007 was a recipient of the annual American PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award.
Juan Carlos HERRERA ACOSTA
Juan Carlos Herrera Acosta, a journalist for the Eastern Free Press Agency (Agencia de Prensa Libre Oriental or APLO), was sentenced to 20 years in prison under Law 88.
Herrera reportedly suffers from health problems including cardio-vascular ailments, vitiligo (a disfiguring skin condition) and weight loss. He has staged a number of protests including hunger strikes - on several occasions reportedly sewing up his mouth - against the miserable prison conditions, poor medical care and the physical and verbal mistreatment to which he claims he is subjected. In July 2008, Herrera reportedly went on hunger strike again to demand better prison conditions, including better food, the right to religious attendance, longer phone calls to his family and a transfer to a prison in his home province of Guantánamo. At the end of 2008 it was reported that he was suffering from psychological stress. He is a member of German PEN.
Regis IGLESIAS RAMIREZ
Regis Iglesias Ramirez is a poet, writer and member of the pro-democracy Varela Project. He was sentenced to 18 years under Article 91. He is believed to be held at Combinado del Este prison in Havana, but PEN has had no further news about this case since December 2008.
José Ubaldo IZQUIERDO HERNÁNDEZ
José Ubaldo Izquierdo Hernandez, a freelance journalist for the independent news agency Grupo de Trabajo Decoro and CubaNet and a bookseller was sentenced to 16 years in prison under Article 91.
Izquierdo has reportedly suffered from numerous ailments since his imprisonment, including pulmonary emphysema (an irreversible lung condition), stomach and intestinal problems and asthma. His health has worsened since 2007, when he was reportedly twice hospitalised for circulation and gastro-duodenal problems, and when he also went on hunger strike in protest at the lack of medical attention at the prison. At the end of 2008 it was reported that Izquierdo was suffering from depression.
José Miguel MARTÍNEZ HERNÁNDEZ
José Miguel Martinez Hernandez, was a librarian at the General Juan Bruno Zayas Library, the area representative for the unofficial political group Movimiento 24 de Febrero, and was also involved in the pro-democracy Varela project. He was sentenced to 13 years under Law 88.
On 6 October 2007, Martinez was transferred from Guanajay prison in Havana to El Aguacate high security prison. On arrival, Martinez managed to telephone his wife to let her know about his transfer; he himself had found out about it only that day. In 2008, it was reported that sanitary conditions were extremely poor in El Aguacate, with contaminated drinking water and an outbreak of tuberculosis exacerbated by damp and overcrowding.
Héctor Fernando MASEDA GUTIÉRREZ
Héctor Fernando Maseda Gutierrez, an independent journalist, author and president of the Cuban Liberal Party (Partido Liberal Cubano), was sentenced to 20 years in prison under Law 88 and Article 91. Maseda is said to be the oldest of the imprisoned writers and journalists in Cuba.
For the first two years and 10 months of his sentence, Maseda was reportedly held in solitary confinement in a maximum security prison and was not allowed any visits; during this time he reportedly lost a great deal of weight (18 kilos). In March 2007, Maseda's wife reportedly made a complaint to the Interior Minister about the inhumane way in which he had been transferred from a prison to a hospital where he was due to undergo surgery. Despite being extremely weak, Maseda had allegedly been left in a punishment cell for three hourse before being shackled for the transfer.
An engineer with a degree in nuclear physics, he began working as an independent journalist in 1995 after losing his government job as a result of his political views. He later co-founded the independent news agency Grupo de Trabajo Decoro, whuich published reports critical of Cuba in the foreigh media. He also wrote for the Miami-based news website CubaNet. Maseda reportedly focused on social, economic, and historical topics not covered in the official press and wrote investigative pieces, including a series on human rights abuses in Cuba prisons published shortly after his arrest in 2003. Once jailed, Maseda continued to write about prison conditions first hand. The first part of his memoir, Enterrados Vivos (Buried Alive) was published in the United States in 2007, after the manuscript was smuggled out of prison one page at a time. The book, which Maseda intends to have three parts, has also reportedly been published in the Caribbean and Western Europe.
Maseda is an Honorary Member of the Italian PEN Centre and was awarded the Committee to Protect Journalists' 2008 International Press Freedom Award.
Pablo PACHECO ÁVILA
Pablo Pacheco Avila, a freelance journalist for the independent news agencies Agencia Patria and Cooperativa Avileña de Periodistas Independientes, was sentenced to 20 years under Law 88.
Pacheco has reportedly suffered from a number of ailments since his imprisonment, including hypertension and kidney problems. In March 2008, it was reported that he had developed inflammation and joint problems in both knees which required surgery, and had also been diagnosed with severe headaches and acute crisis. He reportedly refused food between 16 and 21 April 2008 because the food that he was given did not comply with a diet prescribed by doctors.
On 20 March 2009 his wife, Oleivys García Echemendía was scheduled to visit her husband, imprisoned Cuban at 1 p.m. at the Morón prison in the central province of Ciego de Ávila. Several hours before the scheduled visit, however, prison authorities called García Echemendía at home. They asked her to go to Morón immediately with a clean change of clothes for her husband, she told CPJ. At the prison, García Echemendía was told her husband had been granted a 24-hour permit to go home on account of his good behaviour.
In an interview with U.S.-based Radio Martí, Pacheco Ávila said he had expected the worst--to be sent to a prison away from his home as punishment. Instead, he was surprised with the news that he would be sent home to his wife and child. At home, hundreds of visitors showed up to see Pacheco Ávila, he said. He was also able to speak to jailed reporters who are being held in different prisons, journalists who were released on medical parole, and family members living in other parts of Cuba and abroad. The most touching part of the Radio Martí interview was the journalist's description of the time spent with his family. Throughout the night, Pacheco Ávila said, his 10-year-old son woke him up repeatedly to ask if he was really there.
According to García Echemendía, prison authorities said all imprisoned journalists would be granted similar 24-hour permits to go home--depending on their behaviour. García Echemendía told CPJ this rare occurrence had given the families of 22 imprisoned journalists new hope. "This could be the light at the end of the tunnel," she said. "This could be a first sign of real change." (http://cpj.org/blog/2009/03/imprisoned-cuban-journalist-is-granted-24-hours-at.php)
Fabio PRIETO LLORENTE
Fabio Prieto Llorente, a freelance journalist and member of the Asamblea para la Sociedad Civil (Civil Society Assembly), was sentenced to 20 years in prison under Article 91 and Law 88.
During his detention Prieto has reportedly suffered from a variety of medical complaints including hypertension, emphysema (an irreversible lung condition), heart complications, severe back pain, ear infections, allergies and depression. He has reportedly undertaken several hunger strikes in protest at very poor prison conditions, including being kept in solitary confinement for months at a time, being held with dangerous prisoners, overcrowding and dirty drinking water. He is an Honorary Member of English PEN.
Alfredo Manuel PULIDO LÓPEZ
Alfredo Manuel PULIDO LÓPEZ, a human rights activist, freelance journalist, director of El Mayor news agency, Camagüey, and the president of the Cuban Council of Human Rights Rapporteurs (Consejo de Relatores de Derechos Humanos de Cuba) was sentenced to 14 years under Article 91.
There was serious concern for Pulido's health in 2008. He was reportedly suffering from chronic bronchitis, high blood pressure, hypoglycaemia, osteoporosis, vision loss, gastritis, severe headaches and depression. According to his wife, he was thin and weak, dragged his feet when walking and had difficulty eating. Nevertheless, her request for him to be released on health grounds was refused.
Blas Giraldo REYES RODRÍGUEZ
Blas Giraldo REYES RODRÍGUEZ, a librarian at 20 de Mayo Library in Sancti Spiritus and a member of the steering committee of the pro-democracy Proyecto Varela (the Varela Project), a petition calling for a referendum on legal reform with the goal of greater personal, political and economic freedoms and an amnesty for political prisoners. He was sentenced to 25 years under Law 88.
Reyes is said to suffer from a number of health complaints including arterial hypertension, arthrosis (a degenerative disease of the joints) and gastritis. He was reportedly hospitalized in August 2008 for low blood sugar and sudden weight loss which it was feared may indicate the onset of diabetes. Reyes has denounced prison conditions on several occasions, including flooding and sanitary problems, severe overcrowding and lack of beds. He is an Honorary Member of Sydney PEN Centre.
Omar RODRÍGUEZ SALUDES
Omar RODRÍGUEZ SALUDES, director of the independent press agency Nueva Prensa Cubana, was sentenced to 27 years in prison under Article 91.
In 2008 Rodríguez had reportedly been diagnosed with gastrointestinal problems and hypertension but his health was otherwise stable. According to his son, who has lost his job because of his father's imprisonment, Rodríguez is determined not to let prison break his will. In September 2008, in a case brought under the US Alien Tort Claims Act, a Miami judge reportedly ruled that Rodríguez' arrest, trial and imprisonment had violated his human rights and that the treatment and conditions that he has experienced in prison amounted to torture. He is an Honorary Member of Finnish PEN.
Omar Moisés RUÍZ HERNÁNDEZ
Omar Moisés RUÍZ HERNÁNDEZ, a freelance journalist for news agency Grupo de Trabajo Decoro and Miami-based website CubaNet, was sentenced to 18 years in prison under Article 91.
Ruiz has reportedly suffered from poor health since his imprisonment, including hypertension, a detached retina, pneumonia, and prostate, kidney and circulatory problems. Prison conditions are said to be crowded and noisy, which has reportedly caused Ruiz mental distress and insomnia. He is also understood to have endured maltreatment such as solitary confinement, being held in punishment cells and harassment. He is an Honorary Member of Swedish PEN.
Detained after 2003:
Raymundo PERDIGÓN BRITO
Raymundo PERDIGÓN BRITO, founder of independent news agency Yayabo Press. Perdigon was sentenced to 4 years in prison under Article 72 ("social dangerousness").
Perdigón was arrested on charges on being a "pre-criminal danger to society" on 29 November 2006 after defying a State Security order to cease his journalistic activities, and was sentenced on 5 December 2006. On the day the sentence was announced, around one hundred demonstrators allegedly attacked the journalists' relatives. Since his arrest, his sister has taken over as editor of Yayabo Press. There are fears that Perdigón may have suffered reprisals after he reported in April 2007 that he had suffered food poisoning caused by negligence on the part of prison staff and his general concerns about inmates' health.
Oscar SÁNCHEZ MADAN
Oscar SÁNCHEZ MADAN, the Matanzas correspondent for the Miami-based website CubaNe, was arrested on 13 April 2007 following repeated warnings by local authorities to stop working as a journalist, and convicted the same day at a closed trial where he reportedly had no access to legal counsel. He was sentenced to four years in Combinado del Sur maximum security prison, outside Matanzas, under Article 72 ("social dangerous"). The sentence was reduced to three years on appeal.
Since his imprisonment Sánchez has complained of maltreatment, including being attacked and threatened by other inmates, restricted communications and inadequate medical attention. In March 2008, it was reported that he was sharing a 19-by-10-foot cell with more than a dozen prisoners and that the prison authorities encouraged inmates to threaten and intimidate him. He has held hunger strikes, and reportedly fell and broke his leg in June 2008 but was only given treatment almost four weeks later.
Ramón VELÁZQUEZ TORANSO
Ramón VELÁZQUEZ TORANSO, journalist for the independent news agency Libertad, was arrested on 23 January 2007.
He was arrested together with his wife and daughter at the bus station in Ciego de Avila, both of whom were freed later that day. The family had staged a human rights protest on 10 December 2006. The journalist was sentenced to three years of supervised parole on charges of being a "pre-criminal danger" to society by the Tribunal in La Tunas, eastern Cuba, before being taken to El Típico provincial prison. Following a hunger strike, Velásquez was transferred to a forced-labour camp in Las Tunas province in March 2007, allegedly "on the orders of State Security."
Alberto Santiago DU BOUCHET
Alberto Santiago DU BOUCHET, director and reporter for the Havana-based independent news agency, was arrested on 18 April 2009 while visiting relatives near Havana. The circumstances behind the arrest remain unclear but is understood that he was taken to the local police station after a verbal exchange with a police officer. His family has reportedly not been allowed to visit him since his arrest.
On 23 May, Du Bouchet was sentenced to three years in prison, reportedly on charges of "disrespect for authority". There are unconfirmed reports that he was also charged with "distributing enemy propaganda", but it is not known whether or not he was convicted of this. The trial was said to have been summary and Du Bouchet was reportedly denied access to a lawyer. According to an independent Havana-based journalist who has spoken to Du Bouchet since his imprisonment, he was jailed in reprisal for his work, which includes reporting on social issues.
Du Bouchet's sentence brings the number of writers and journalists currently imprisoned for their work in Cuba to 26. He is the fourth journalist to be jailed since Raul Castro took over power from his brother Fidel Castro in July 2006.