Havana / Madrid – Shortly before new protests by the opposition in Cuba, the socialist government withdrew the accreditation of all journalists from the Spanish news agency Efe.
It is the first time that the work of an entire news agency has been blocked on the Caribbean island, wrote the Efe office manager in Havana, Atahualpa Amerise, on Twitter on Sunday.
The opposition is planning new protests this Monday, even though the government has banned such rallies.
According to Amerise, the five journalists from Efe were summoned by the head of the international press center on Saturday. Then their permission to work as journalists in Cuba was withdrawn, according to the Spanish news agency Europa Press. It is unclear whether it is a temporary or permanent ban. Two got their accreditations back after negotiations, as Amerise wrote on Twitter.
Efe published an interview with the protest leader
A few days ago Efe had published an interview with a leader of the opposition march, which had been declared illegal, the playwright Yunior García Aguilera. Cuban security forces surrounded the Garcías house on Sunday, as the playwright announced on social media – shortly before he wanted to demonstrate alone with a white rose in Havana.
Efe President Gabriela Cañas had called on the Cuban government to “reconsider” its decision. “The agency Efe is an objective and responsible medium that has been reporting on the island for more than 40 years and does not understand the reasons for this action,” she was quoted by Europa Press.
Amnesty International and the EU are critical
Amnesty International and the European Union also criticized the decision. A spokesman for the Foreign Service in Brussels announced on Sunday evening that the EU is calling on the Cuban authorities to guarantee freedom of expression and freedom of the press and to return all the documents required for their work to Efe employees. Foreign correspondents made an important contribution to international understanding and the openness of societies.
On July 11th the largest mass protests in decades spontaneously broke out in Cuba. There was demonstration for more freedom and against mismanagement. There have been hundreds of arrests.
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