Spain calls for the “immediate release” of journalist detained in Cuba

(CNN) – On Tuesday, the Spanish foreign minister asked Cuba to immediately release a Cuban journalist who writes for the daily ABC newspaper in Madrid.

Minister Jose Manuel Alparis wrote in a tweet on Twitter: “Spain defends the right to demonstrate freely and peacefully and asks the Cuban authorities to respect this. We defend human rights without conditions. We request the immediate release of CamilaAcostaCu.”

ABC newspaper, in its digital edition (www.abc.es), said that his arrest in Cuba and the “detention of many of his fellow journalists is totally unacceptable”. The newspaper called for “the immediate release of Acosta, the return of all professional materials that were taken from his home, and the withdrawal of the charges against him” for alleged crimes against the security of the Cuban state.

The newspaper also reported that the journalist was arrested Monday morning in Havana while leaving his home. Later, Cuban securitymen searched his house and took his computer. Hours earlier, he had spoken of the anti-government demonstrations in the Cuban capital on Sunday.

ABC said it wasn’t the first time Acosta had come into conflict with Cuban authorities for doing her job as a reporter.

An ABC editor confirmed to CNN that Acosta is a Cuban and has worked for the newspaper for about six months.

protests in cuba

Thousands of Cubans took to the streets on Sunday to protest food and medicine shortages at a time when the country is going through a serious economic crisis exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and US sanctions.

On Tuesday, the Spanish Foreign Ministry issued a statement on the protests, saying that “Spain, as an Ibero-American country, is following with great interest the developments in the situation in Cuba.”

Cuba is experiencing a crisis that includes several aspects, including the economic crisis and the decline in tourism due to COVID-19. To confront this situation, the pace of reforms must be accelerated.”

We express our concern about the serious shortage faced by the Cuban people. We are also aware of the deterioration of the epidemic situation on the island, and we will study ways to provide assistance to alleviate the situation, as we have done with other countries in the region.”