“We will continue to insist that freedom of expression be respected and that all those unjustly detained be released,” Hammer said.
14ymedio, Havana, April 8, 2026 — Mike Hammer head of the U.S. diplomatic mission in Havana, expressed his concern over the February arrest of Ernesto Medina, known as Tico, and Kamil Zayas, members of the El4tico project, for publishing content critical of the government. In a video posted Wednesday on the social media account of the U.S. Embassy in Havana, the diplomat is shown on a video call with Doris Santiesteban, Medina’s wife, telling her that the activists and their families have “Washington’s support.”
During the conversation, Santiesteban points out that all legal actions taken on behalf of the detainees have failed. “Every legal recourse we’ve pursued has been rejected. Changes to pretrial detention, a complaints, they’ve all been denied,” she states in response to Hammer’s direct question.
Regarding the physical condition of her husband and Zayas, the woman replied: “Well, they are thin, they are skinny.”
Then, the head of mission, who since his appointment has been constantly traveling throughout the island and visiting activists, independent journalists , and ordinary Cubans in their own homes, points out that “on behalf of the United States Embassy in Washington, we are very concerned about them. We will continue to insist that they should be released, like all political prisoners. They have done nothing wrong.”
“We will continue to insist that they should be released, like all political prisoners. They have done nothing wrong.”
Before ending the conversation, Hammer wishes Santiesteban “strength and courage,” and adds that at the diplomatic headquarters “we are always thinking of Tico and Kamil.”
“I also thank you and the United States embassy for the support and solidarity,” Santiesteban later said.
The diplomatic mission accompanied the 53-second video with the message: “We will continue to insist that freedom of expression and thought be respected and that all those unjustly detained be released.”
Ernesto Medina and Kamil Zayas were detained on February 6 in an operation in Holguín that resembled a raid against armed and dangerous criminals, including a search of their home and the confiscation of work equipment such as a cell phone, laptop, camera, tripod, router, and other devices. The harassment they endured at the hands of the repressive forces was recorded and shared by the journalists themselves in their online stories.
Nearly a week later, the Holguín Provincial Prosecutor’s Office justified its decision to open a criminal case against the platform’s creators. They were accused of “propaganda against the constitutional order” and “incitement to commit crimes” through publications that incited the population and members of the Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior to change the constitutional order and “they defamed state institutions.”
It accused them of “propaganda against the constitutional order” and “incitement to commit crimes” through publications
The call between Hammer and Santiesteban took place two days after artist and political prisoner Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara ended an eight-day hunger strike in Guanajay prison, Artemisa, as confirmed by his Facebook page.
The hunger strike was a direct response to the death threats he received from agents of the Department 21 of State Security during an inspection at the prison on March 28, and the regime’s refusal to release him early despite legal efforts by Cubalex, an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to defending and promoting human rights in Cuba
Days before undertaking it, he had begun a 12-hour daily fast, which he planned to end on March 31. However, when that date arrived, he upped the ante.
Cuban artist Anamely Ramos, who announced the new hunger strike at the time, pointed out that Otero Alcántara’s decision was based, in addition to the recent death threat, on the fact that “he already suspects that they will want to extend his sentence beyond the five years, which end completely in July.”
“He already suspects that they will want to extend his sentence beyond the five years, which end entirely in July.”
On Wednesday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) condemned the Cuban government’s announced release of 2,010 people, noting that it excludes political prisoners. In a statement, the NGO said that, “while the announcement raised hopes among many families of political prisoners, neither Human Rights Watch nor other civil society groups, including Prisoners Defenders and Justice 11J, have identified any political prisoners among those released.”
He emphasized that Havana would exclude, among others, people convicted of “crimes against authority,” which can include “contempt,” “propaganda,” and “assault,” “which the government has used for decades to persecute and arbitrarily prosecute opponents.”
In this regard, HRW indicated that more than 700 political prisoners remain behind bars in Cuba, “and hundreds more suffer house arrest and other restrictions.”
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