Paula Amador Lobón, a young Cuban studying at Columbia University, revealed a letter from activist Kamil Zayas Pérez, a member of the independent initiative El4tico, who was arrested in Holguín on Friday alongside Ernesto Ricardo Medina during a police operation.
“Kamil is not a criminal, and the State Security is aware of that,” Paula stated on her Facebook post. She explained that the letter was handed to her by Kamil himself as a precaution, with instructions to make it public if he was not released within 24 hours.
Dated January 2026, Kamil’s letter warned with calm foresight: “If you are seeing or reading this, it’s because they finally found a way to lock me up, to temporarily silence me.”
The activist clarified that his arrest was not due to any common crime but rather “the only crime a dictatorship cannot tolerate: daring to look it in the eye and loudly state what everyone sees: its glaring faults, chronic inefficiencies, systematic injustices, and the oppression crushing an entire people’s dignity.”
Known for his reflective tone and analytical skills, Zayas emphasized that his work with El4tico was always aimed at promoting critical thinking “without hatred and polarization.” He wrote, “I have simply pointed out what is wrong, what is humiliating, what degrades the human being. And apparently, that is unforgivable.”
In his letter, Zayas condemned the Cuban government for choosing to tighten the narrative, increasing repression amid the country's deepest crisis in recent history. He described the fear of those in power as their main driving force: “They fear taking responsibility for their own mistakes more than dragging an entire nation into the abyss out of pride and arrogance.”
Zayas also reflected on the hypocrisy of the official discourse, which glorifies rebellion in history books while persecuting those who practice it today: “They silence those of us who do exactly what they teach: to raise our voices against injustice. Those are their heroes until someone actually emulates them.”
In one of the letter’s most poignant sections, the young man humbly stated: “I am no one special, neither a leader nor indispensable. I am just another Cuban, a small piece in a vast cause: the desire to live with dignity and to speak the truth without fear.”
The letter concluded with a message of hope and defiance: “Silencing me does not silence the tide. A cell cannot extinguish an awakened collective conscience. Forced silence solves nothing; it only festers the wound. The Cuban people no longer settle for crumbs or tales. They deserve—demand—something much better.”
The letter has gone viral under the hashtag #TodosSomosEl4tico, sparking solidarity both inside and outside of Cuba. Figures like Anna Sofía Benítez have also publicly supported the group, while activists criticize the official silence regarding the arrests.
Amid blackouts, censorship, and a growing wave of uncertainty and outrage, Kamil Zayas’s letter encapsulates the spirit of a generation confronting fear with words. A message that, though written with the foresight of imprisonment, now belongs to the collective memory of a nation that—as he wrote—“demands something much better.”
Insights on Cuba's Political Climate and Activism
Why was Kamil Zayas Pérez arrested?
Kamil Zayas Pérez was arrested not for a common crime but for speaking out against the Cuban dictatorship, highlighting its faults and injustices, which is intolerable to the regime.
What is the El4tico project?
El4tico is an independent initiative focused on promoting critical thinking and challenging the oppressive Cuban regime through thoughtful discourse and analysis.
How has the public reacted to Zayas’s letter?
The letter has received widespread attention, going viral with the hashtag #TodosSomosEl4tico, and has sparked solidarity and support from individuals both within and outside Cuba.