Luis Alberto García Condemns Arrest of El4tico Members: "Imprisoning Ideas is Terrible"

The renowned Cuban actor Luis Alberto García Novoa has openly criticized the arrest of young Kamil Zayas Pérez, a member of the independent project El4tico, demanding his immediate release. García argues that Zayas's detention is solely due to his expression of critical ideas.

In a Facebook post, García Novoa stated, "This young man has been detained. Yet another. He articulates his beliefs and feelings so well that I have no choice but to respect him greatly and demand his release. Imprisoning ideas, whatever they may be, is terrible."

García shared the entirety of a letter written by Zayas before his arrest, where the young man foresaw his detention, noting that it wouldn’t be for any common crime but rather for speaking uncomfortable truths that challenge those in power.

Dated in January, the letter reveals Zayas's anticipation of being detained "for the only 'crime' a dictatorship cannot tolerate: daring to look directly and speak aloud about what we all see—its monumental failures, chronic inefficiencies, systematic injustices, and the oppression crushing the dignity of an entire nation."

Zayas highlighted his commitment to speaking "without hate and without polarization," aiming to encourage critical thinking. He condemned the government's choice to increase repression and close off spaces instead of taking responsibility amid the country's worst crisis.

"They fear admitting their own mistakes more than dragging an entire nation into the abyss out of pride and arrogance," Zayas wrote. He accused the official discourse of hypocrisy, noting that while rebellion is glorified in literature, those who practice it today are persecuted.

Defining himself as "just another Cuban" wanting to live with dignity and speak the truth without fear, Zayas poignantly stated, "A cell does not extinguish a collective conscience," emphasizing that forced silence only deepens the nation's wounds.

The letter ends with a call to not succumb to fear and to continue speaking with dignity, asserting that justice, truth, and freedom "will always arrive, even if delayed."

By sharing this message on his Facebook wall, García Novoa reiterated his respect for Zayas and demanded his release, condemning the imprisonment of ideas as unacceptable.

Unjust Censorship and Detention of Two Innocent Young Men

Kamil Zayas Pérez was arrested in Holguín during a police operation that also led to the detention of Ernesto Ricardo Medina. Both are associated with the El4tico project, known for its sociopolitical analyses and critiques of Cuban realities.

The letter shared by Luis Alberto García had previously been made public by young Cuban Paula Amador Lobón, a student at Columbia University. Paula stated that Zayas had given her the letter beforehand, asking her to publish it if he was not freed within 24 hours.

Activists and the platform Ciudadanía y Libertad reported that the young men were taken to the Holguín Penal Instruction headquarters, infamously known as "Everyone Sings," a center criticized for violent interrogation practices and degrading treatment.

During the operation, authorities seized computers, phones, cameras, and work equipment that the young men utilized to document their efforts. Doris Santiesteban Batista remained in the home with the couple's young daughter, a situation described as highly vulnerable following the police intervention.

El4tico released a video of the raid, capturing an officer stating he had a warrant to enter. Activists and social media users have shown solidarity with the detainees using the hashtag #TodosSomosEl4tico.

The United States Embassy in Cuba also called for the release of Kamil Zayas and Ernesto Ricardo Medina.

This arrest occurs amidst a national backdrop of power outages, inflation, mass migration, and social unrest, where any voice questioning the system is perceived as a threat and treated as a security issue rather than a legitimate exercise of expression.