Cuban State Security Summons Anna Sofía Benítez to Alamar Police Station

The Cuban State Security has ordered Anna Sofía Benítez Silvente, a well-known activist on social media as Anna Bensi, to appear at the Alamar PNR 27 police station in Havana this Wednesday, March 25, at 2 PM. The 21-year-old revealed the summons through a video on Tuesday.

Signed by Lieutenant Colonel Edith Cala, who is overseeing her mother's case, the summons was not handed directly to Anna Sofía but rather given to a cousin living in the same building. The activist recounted that a uniformed officer pressed her cousin to sign the document.

The official reason cited is a "statement taking" related to her mother, Caridad "Cary" Silvente's case. However, Anna Sofía publicly dismissed this, calling it "a bogus excuse." She also pointed out that the summons fails to clarify her role—whether as a witness, accused, or otherwise—which she described as another procedural irregularity.

History of Intimidation

This marks the first direct summons for Anna Sofía by State Security. The harassment began on March 10 and 11, when officers interrogated her mother for about two hours at an Alamar police station. The pretext was that Cary had filmed and shared a video of MININT sub-officer Yoel Leodan Rabaza Ramos as he delivered a summons to her home. Authorities cited this as a breach of Article 393 of the Cuban Penal Code, which penalizes unauthorized dissemination of images or personal data with prison terms ranging from two to five years.

Following the interrogation, Cary Silvente was placed under house arrest, barred from leaving the country, and instructed to hire a lawyer within five days. During the session, she was branded a "bad mother" and warned that the legal process could drag on for years. On March 18, she attended a second summons with her attorney, who filed a request to dismiss the case with the prosecutor's office, which is still pending a response.

Pressure and Threats

Simultaneously, agent Kenia María Morales Larrea, who interrogated Cary, explicitly warned that Anna Sofía would also be summoned. Close friends, including Shiorocio Sanz and Chío, were called in for police interviews described as pure intimidation, aiming to coerce them into persuading the activist to remain silent. Both Anna Sofía and her mother lost internet access temporarily following the initial interrogations.

Anna Sofía has been labeled a "counter-revolutionary" and "mercenary" by Cuban authorities. Despite this, she remains steadfast, declaring, "They will not silence me." Meanwhile, international organizations, independent journalists, and foreign governments continue to monitor the situation closely.