Journalist Henry Constantín arrested at State Security headquarters in Camagüey
The director of La Hora de Cuba was arrested on Wednesday after responding to a police summons in Camagüey. The authorities have not revealed the charges.
Arrest of Henry Constantín at Villa María Luisa following police summons
Independent journalist Henry Constantín, director of the media outlet La Hora de Cuba, was arrested on Wednesday, 16 September at Villa María Luisa, the headquarters of the State Security in Camagüey, according to adncuba.com.
A member of the La Hora de Cuba team confirmed Constantín's presence at that facility, located in the Garrido neighbourhood, at around 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. So far, the authorities have not provided public details about the charges attributed to him.
From summons to arrest
Constantín had been verbally summoned on Tuesday, 15 September, at approximately 2:30 p.m., by a State Security agent identified as Felipe. He was instructed to present himself at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday at the Second Unit of the National Revolutionary Police (PNR) in Camagüey, on the Central Highway.
The journalist appeared at the police station. The last known communication with his colleagues took place at around 8:48 a.m. Near 1:00 p.m., a member of La Hora de Cuba went to ask about him; a female official responded that Constantín was not registered there and did not provide any information about a transfer.
On Thursday, the journalist's team was to contact the State Security investigator identified as Juan Pablo, who was supposedly to explain the reasons for the accusation.
Documented pattern of harassment
The arrest comes days after neighbours alerted Constantín to the presence of two police officers at his residence on 8 September, at around 11:30 a.m. The journalist and his partner, fellow independent journalist Alejandra García, were not at home at that time.
This is not the first time Constantín has been taken to Villa María Luisa. In June 2025 he remained four days at that facility. According to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), he was then accused of contempt, allegedly in connection with a publication in which he reported the conduct of a State Security agent.
His record also includes arrests aimed at preventing him from covering trials against activists. The 2023 annual report on Cuba, prepared by freedom of expression organisations, documented house arrests and detentions of Constantín linked to his intention to cover judicial proceedings in Camagüey. ARTICLE 19 has also documented episodes of harassment against him, including those that occurred during the protests of 11 July 2021.
Demand for cessation of harassment
La Hora de Cuba reported that the authorities have not explained the concrete reasons for the measure and demanded an end to the harassment of its director. Constantín's situation remains unresolved, pending information from the regime regarding the reasons for his arrest and any charges that may be brought against him.
Source: Google News CU — Crime