On Tuesday, Cuban influencer and activist Anna Bensi released a video on Instagram, sharply criticizing the Cuban regime's double standards, just weeks after she and her mother were sentenced to two years of restricted freedom for filming a Ministry of the Interior agent's visit to their home.
Set in the iconic room of El4tico, the video quickly garnered over 61,000 likes and 3,400 comments. In her message, Bensi addressed three recent events: her portrayal on the state-run program Con Filo, a protest organized in front of her home during a visit by U.S. diplomat Mike Hammer, and the arrest of a man who protested peacefully with a sign in front of Havana's Capitol.
Exposing the Regime's Inconsistencies
The video is laced with irony: on October 1, Anna Sofía Benítez Silvente (Anna Bensi) was convicted of allegedly exposing a police officer's identity, while state-run media and profiles freely attack, defame, and ridicule her without any repercussions.
"Where is the national TV platform to counter these narratives? Where is the officially supported microphone to challenge and refute their defamations? Where is the real debate?" asked the 21-year-old, directly critiquing the Cubavisión program Con Filo, hosted by lawyer Michel E. Torres Corona, which used her image to smear her.
She sarcastically noted, "On national television, you have all the freedom in the world to say whatever the Communist Party authorizes."
Acts of Intimidation or Weakness?
Regarding the October 6 protest, where regime supporters gathered outside her Alamar residence during Mike Hammer's visit, Bensi proposed a mental exercise: "What if a group of Cubans organized and went to a regime leader's house to shout slogans, harass, film, and then post it on Facebook as a triumph? What do you think the Ministry of Justice would do?"
Her answer was swift and biting: "Then they would remember that the law exists."
Bensi described the incident not as a show of strength, but as one of weakness: "A regime that needs to intimidate critics in their own homes isn't showing authority—it's showing cowardice, desperation, and fear of freedom."
The Case of Ariel Limias Leyva
The third focus of her video addressed the case of Ariel Limias Leyva, a painter and Pentecostal pastor arrested on October 2 for displaying a sign with "Down with the dictatorship" and "Freedom" on the Capitol steps, later taken to Villa Marista, the State Security headquarters, facing enemy propaganda charges that carry up to 10 years in prison.
"One man, one sign, one phrase. And what was the regime's response? Political police and detention. Wow! What a strong regime! Such bravery! They quake over a piece of cardboard," Bensi remarked.
On the same day, former cultural official Abel Prieto published a caricature of Bensi on Facebook, depicting her as a "mercenary" linked to Hammer, which sparked a flood of criticism in the comments.
Benítez Silvente and her mother, Caridad Silvente Laffita, have been under house arrest and barred from leaving Cuba since March 25. The East Havana Municipal People's Court found them guilty under Article 393 of the Penal Code, which criminalizes acts against "personal and family privacy, personal image and voice, identity of others, and their data."
"The dictatorship doesn't want citizens; it wants blind obedience, and because they can't persuade, they resort to repression and lies. But the lie will collapse under its own weight, and that weight will crush them. Freedom for Cuba," the young activist concluded.
Understanding the Cuban Legal Double Standards
What were Anna Bensi and her mother accused of?
Anna Bensi and her mother were accused of violating Article 393 of the Cuban Penal Code, which pertains to acts against personal and family privacy and the identity of others.
Who is Ariel Limias Leyva and why was he detained?
Ariel Limias Leyva is a painter and Pentecostal pastor who was detained for displaying a sign against the regime on the steps of the Capitol in Havana, facing charges of enemy propaganda.
How did Anna Bensi criticize the Cuban regime in her video?
Anna Bensi criticized the regime for its double standards in law enforcement, highlighting incidents of intimidation and suppression of free speech, while drawing attention to the lack of accountability for state-run media attacks.