Actor and opposition figure Edel Carrero tells ’14ymedio’ details about his interrogation by State Security
Edel Carrero, an actor and protester in the massive protests of 11 July 2021 [’11J’]– who has since denounced recurring threats for his social media posts – was interrogated this Monday at Villa Marista, the main headquarters of State Security in Havana.
In a video sent to 14ymedio, Carrero recounts how the “interview” unfolded, for which he had been summoned last Friday by a major from the Ministry of the Interior, on the eve of the fifth anniversary of 11J. After receiving the summons, the activist published a video in which he held the regime responsible for anything that might happen to him.
In this new video, Carrero explains that he made the recording to feel protected, because “all Cubans know what Villa Marista represents, and it’s not pleasant to be summoned there.” The headquarters of State Security in Cuba is known for holding political opponents in pretrial detention and has been internationally denounced for psychological torture, prolonged isolation, and coercive interrogations.
The activist recounts that during the interview the agents asked him “what he did, if he was working, and what his political position was,” to which, according to his testimony, he responded transparently: “I don’t want socialism, I want free elections, I want democracy, and I want freedom and a multi-party system.”
“I don’t want socialism, I want free elections, I want democracy, and I want freedom and a multi-party system.”
He was also asked about his social media posts and about having shared the summons for that interrogation, to which he replied that he did it to feel protected “because I don’t feel that I have any kind of protection, here in Cuba, from anything.”
The agents wanted to know if Carrero knew Spiderman, the athlete Javier Ernesto Martín Gutiérrez, currently imprisoned in the Combinado del Este maximum security prison for protesting for eight days from his balcony. Carrero replied that yes, Javier is his friend. The two share a passion for martial arts.
According to Carrero, the officers warned him not to “look for trouble” and to “stay calm.” “I don’t know why they wasted so much of my time,” the activist says, “since they know what I think: that I’m not with this system.”
Carrero clarifies that the officer who interviewed him did not “treat him badly,” nor did he “speak rudely” to him, nor did he threaten him. He thanks those who were concerned about him after the video was released last Friday and apologizes for any anxiety it may have caused.
“To say I’m not afraid would be foolish, but courage is when you, even if you’re afraid, say what you feel and what you think.”
“I’ll be honest with you, I’m afraid. To say I’m not afraid would be foolish, but courage is when, even though you’re afraid, you say what you feel and what you think,” he stated.
The actor concludes with a message of support for political prisoners and expresses his desire for Cuba to change, “because the truth is that we’re fucked.”
Carrero was violently arrested after participating in the 11th July demonstrations and initially charged with public disorder. He also received threats of sedition charges and, months later, was dismissed from his position as an IT specialist at the Havana Theater Center. Since then, he has reported being interrogated, monitored, and threatened for his social media posts.
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