HAVANA TIMES – The Cuban State and its repressive organs remain determined to eliminate the El Toque multimedia platform and suppress the impact of the work we do as a press outlet and as an organization of Cubans committed to achieving a democratic and free country. Since mid-September 2024, we have documented a new escalation of repression by the State Security apparatus against people on the island who have been in contact with our team or collaborated with the outlet in the past.
The new operation involves an ongoing criminal persecution for the alleged crime of “mercenarism,” which was incorporated into Article 143 of the Penal Code after its reform in 2022. Receiving funds used to carry out activities “contrary to the Cuban State and its constitutional order,” is now a crime punishable by between four and ten years imprisonment.
The persecution includes sessions of psychological torture lasting more
