US Envoy Visits Cuban Influencer Convicted on 1 October
CUBA · US RELATIONS
Key Facts
- —The country Cuba, a one-party communist state facing US sanctions tightened in September.
- —What happened The top US diplomat in Havana visited convicted influencer Anna Bensi.
- —Who Mike Hammer has led the US Embassy in Havana since November 2024.
- —The sentence A Havana court gave Bensi and her mother two-year non-custodial terms.
- —What it means for you Washington is pairing tougher Cuba sanctions with public backing for critics.
- —Still open No Cuban government response to the visit was reported by early Thursday.
Mike Hammer, Washington’s top diplomat in Cuba, visited a 21-year-old critic convicted last week over a video of an officer.
Mike Hammer, who heads the US Embassy in Havana, has visited Anna Bensi, a Cuban influencer convicted last week. The embassy announced the visit on Wednesday, 7 October, saying Hammer went to back her against what it called regime harassment.
The visit puts a senior US diplomat publicly behind an individual Cuban critic, days after Washington tightened sanctions on Havana. Those rules, published by the Treasury on 29 September, implement an executive order on those responsible for repression in Cuba.
What the US Embassy Said
The embassy posted on X at 9:30 a.m. Havana time on Wednesday, with four photographs. “Expressing her opinion and belief in God and Christian values is not a crime,” it wrote (quotes translated from Spanish).
It asked why state agents do not wear uniforms and are so afraid of being identified. The embassy said it was “taking note”, like other diplomatic missions, and that a responsible government would end such practices.
One photograph shows a man in civilian clothes holding up a mobile phone outdoors; the embassy did not identify him. Diario de Cuba, an independent Cuban news site, reported that at least one State Security agent watched the house during the visit.
Why Anna Bensi Was Convicted
Anna Bensi is the online name of Anna Sofía Benítez, a 21-year-old content creator from Alamar in eastern Havana. A municipal court in Habana del Este convicted her and her mother on Thursday, 1 October, CubaNet reported.
Each received two years of “limitación de libertad”, or restricted liberty, a penalty served outside prison. Their lawyer said it bars them from leaving Cuba or moving house without court approval, according to OnCuba.
The case began with a video of a plainclothes Interior Ministry officer who brought a summons to their home on 10 March. Prosecutors first shelved the case but reopened it after the officer filed a private complaint, CubaNet reported.
The charge was an offence against personal and family privacy, image and voice under Article 393 of the Penal Code. Prosecutors had sought two years’ deprivation of liberty for Bensi and house arrest for her mother, CubaNet said.
A Second US Statement on the Same Day
About an hour later, Juan Pablo Segura, the Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, turned to another case. Segura, sworn in on 14 August, heads the State Department bureau that handles the Americas.
He wrote that prosecutors in Holguín, in eastern Cuba, are seeking 8 and 10 years in prison for two founders of El4tico. The independent video project’s creators, Ernesto Ricardo Medina and Kamil Zayas Pérez, have been held since 6 February.
Diario de Cuba reported that prosecutors want 8 years for Ricardo Medina and 10 for Zayas. The charges include propaganda against the constitutional order and instigation to commit crimes, the outlet said.
Segura wrote that State Security exists “solely as a tool of repression to persecute and silence everyday Cubans exercising free speech.” He ended his post with a call to release all political prisoners.
Hammer and Segura Have Backed Bensi Before
Hammer has been the embassy’s chief of mission since 14 November 2024, according to its website. He visited Bensi once before, in April, while she and her mother were under house arrest, CubaNet reported.
Segura has also spoken about the case. On 2 October he called the sentence unjust and urged the release of Bensi and her mother, OnCuba reported.
What It Means for You
For US policy watchers, Wednesday’s posts show the State Department naming individual Cuban cases as new sanctions rules roll out. The order behind those rules, Executive Order 14404, targets those responsible for repression in Cuba, the State Department says.
No sanctions tied to the Bensi or El4tico cases had been announced by early Thursday. Cuban Americans should note that the sentence bars Bensi and her mother from travelling abroad without court approval.
Visitors from the United States should note the legal risk of posting videos of Cuban officials. Cuba’s Interior Ministry has said filming is not a crime, but spreading someone’s image without consent can be, OnCuba reported.
What Is Not Known
The embassy did not say on which day Hammer made the visit. Diario de Cuba reported it as Wednesday, while CubaNet said only that it happened this week.
No public comment on the visit from Cuba’s government had been reported by early Thursday. It is also unclear whether Bensi and her mother have received the written ruling or appealed.
No trial date has been reported for the El4tico founders.
What Comes Next
Bensi and her mother can appeal once the written ruling is served, OnCuba reported. The El4tico founders remain in pretrial detention, and no trial date has been set, Diario de Cuba reported.
Wednesday’s posts announced no new US measures against Cuban officials. They do not change US sanctions, which the Treasury last tightened on 29 September.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Anna Bensi?
Anna Bensi is the online name of a 21-year-old Cuban content creator from Havana. She and her mother were convicted on 1 October over a video of a plainclothes officer.
Who is Mike Hammer?
Mike Hammer has been chief of mission of the US Embassy in Havana since 14 November 2024. That makes him the most senior US diplomat in Cuba.
What does restricted liberty mean in Cuba?
It is a sentence served outside prison. Their lawyer said it bars Bensi and her mother from leaving Cuba or moving house without court approval.
What is El4tico?
El4tico is an independent Cuban video project whose two founders have been in pretrial detention in eastern Cuba since 6 February. Prosecutors are seeking 8 and 10 years in prison.
Has the US imposed sanctions over these cases?
No sanctions tied to either case had been announced by early Thursday. Washington adopted new Cuba sanctions rules aimed at repression in late September.
Sources: US Embassy Havana on X, Hammer visits Anna Bensi (7 October); Assistant Secretary of State Juan Pablo Segura on X, El4tico case (7 October); US Embassy Havana, mission leaders; US State Department, biography of Juan Pablo Segura; US State Department, Cuba sanctions statement (30 September); Diario de Cuba, Hammer visit; CubaNet, Hammer visit; CubaNet, verdict; OnCuba, sentence and lawyer; Diario de Cuba, El4tico charges (all accessed 8 October 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief