Cuban independent journalist Henry Constantín faces threats and new accusations at Kilo 7 prison in Camagüey, in a context that his partner, Alejandra García, attributed to a strategy by the authorities to push him into exile. The director of La Hora de Cuba has been detained for almost two months.
García was able to visit him last Friday, after 15 days in isolation. As she recounted to Martí Noticias and in a message released by La Hora de Cuba, Constantín had been separated from the rest of the inmates after prison authorities reported the discovery of a handmade knife in his cell.
According to 14ymedio, the visit allowed García to confirm that Constantín is thinner. The journalist estimated that he has lost about eight pounds, equivalent to roughly 3.6 kilos, since his entry into pretrial detention.
The family expressed concern about the hygiene conditions inside the prison. Although she was able to bring him food and some belongings, García said the prison prevented the entry of products to purify water.
She also denounced that part of the medications and of the food prepared by his relatives apparently never reached the journalist. According to her account, inmates receive food in poor condition and water that is not fit for consumption.
García also pointed to the presence of mosquitoes, the risk of diseases such as dengue, and mattresses infested with bedbugs. To this …
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The Cuban independent journalist Henry Constantín remains in preventive detention at Kilo 7 Prison in Camagüey. The Cuban independent journalist Henry Constantín faces threats and new accusations in Kilo 7 prison in Camagüey, in a context that his partner, Alejandra García, attributed to a strategy by the authorities to push him into exile. The director of La Hora de Cuba has been detained for almost two months. García was able to visit him last Friday, after 15 days in isolation. According to what she related to Martí Noticias and in a message disseminated by La Hora de Cuba, Constantín had been separated from the rest of the inmates after penitentiary authorities reported finding a handmade knife in his cell. According to 14ymedio, the visit allowed García to confirm that Constantín has become thinner. The journalist calculated that he lost about eight pounds, equivalent to nearly 3.6 kilograms, since his entry into preventive detention. The family expressed concern about the hygiene conditions inside the penitentiary. Although she was able to give him food and some belongings, García stated that the prison prevented the entry of products to purify the water. She also denounced that part of the medication and the food prepared by his family did not reach the journalist. According to her account, the inmates receive spoiled food and water that does not meet adequate conditions for consumption. Constantín worked as the director of La Hora de Cuba; he is now facing charges for disturbances, possession of instruments to assault, and disobedience. (EFE/Ricardo Maldonado Rozo)
García also pointed out the presence of mosquitoes, the risk of diseases such as dengue, and bed bugs in the mattresses. To this, she added threats of aggression against Constantín inside the penitentiary. "For him, his only weapon is the word and the truth," García expressed. She added that, despite what happened, the journalist remains calm and dedicated to reading. García rejected the authorities' version regarding the discovery of the knife and maintained that the object was placed to aggravate her partner's legal situation. "All the lies that have been built, like planting the knife," García stated, according to 14ymedio, about how the journalist is being incriminated in prison. Furthermore, she denounced that the knife was not subjected to a fingerprint examination and that the head of the penitentiary unit, identified as Major Dani, manipulated the object, a circumstance that, in her opinion, compromised the validity of the evidence. In a post on La Hora de Cuba's social networks, the journalist's partner mentioned an inmate, Nelson Vento Santiesteban, sentenced to 17 years and originally from Cojímar, as a supposed participant in the placement of the weapon. According to García, testimonies from other prisoners indicate that Vento allegedly received a promise of a reduced sentence. The Cuban journalist lost more than three and a half kilograms of weight during his incarceration at the Kilo 7 penitentiary, according to his partner, Alejandra García. (@constantincuba)
The accusation also points against a State Security agent whom she identifies as Frank, Lieter Pimentel, head of confrontation for that organization in Camagüey. García indicated that other inmates said they had seen conversations between the two. These accusations do not have a known public response from Cuban authorities, according to data provided by 14ymedio. Henry Constantín's judicial situation includes a charge for disturbances and possession of instruments to assault in penitentiary establishments. That file is under the jurisdiction of penal instructor Dainer and will be added to another case for disobedience, according to García. The journalist remains at Detachment 11 of Kilo 7, where he shares space with common prisoners serving long sentences. The communicator's partner assured that there is still no scheduled date for the trial. García questioned the indictment, pointing out that the prison's own report would describe Constantín as a peaceful, quiet, and reading-dedicated person. For her, that characterization contradicts the charge of possessing instruments to assault. On November 16, two months will have passed since the detention of the director of La Hora de Cuba. Constantín was transferred to Kilo 7 on September 24, a few days after his arrest, and remains in preventive detention.