CUBA · PRESS FREEDOM
Updated 1 time · Latest: 11 November 2026
Updated Wednesday, 11 November 2026 · Source: Alejandra García, partner of Henry Constantín; Reporters Without Borders; Centro de Documentación de Prisiones Cubanas, a Mexico-based prison monitor
Cuban journalist Henry Constantín has now spent almost two months in jail, and his partner says State Security, Cuba’s political police, is trying to push him into exile. Reporters Without Borders, a Paris press-freedom group, has demanded his release.
His partner, Alejandra García, a journalist at the independent magazine La Hora de Cuba, says a knife found in his cell was planted to build a second case against him. We found no public response from Cuban authorities.
Key Facts
- Who Henry Constantín directs La Hora de Cuba, an independent magazine in Camagüey, central-east Cuba.
- Held Since Wednesday 16 September 2026, now almost two months, at Kilo 7, a prison in Camagüey.
- New case A knife was found in a search of his cell on Thursday 15 October; his side says it was planted.
- Status He is in pretrial detention (jail before trial), awaiting trial; we know of no trial date.
- The claim His partner alleges State Security is pushing him to leave Cuba; we found no official response.
- Power Index Cuba ranks 14th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 22.5 points (November 2026 edition).
This story is part of our coverage of the Cuba US tensions. Who backs Havana, the blackouts, the embargo vote and what it means for travellers are in our dossier.
A Cuban journalist jailed for almost two months now faces a second case over a knife his partner says was planted.
How the Case Began
On Wednesday 16 September 2026, Constantín went to a police unit in Camagüey, a city in central-east Cuba, after a summons and was detained. Reporters Without Borders says he is accused of “disobedience”.
The charge relates to an alleged missed summons on Wednesday 9 September. Constantín says he went to it, but the officers had already left.
A habeas corpus petition was filed with the provincial court in Camagüey, Reporters Without Borders says. Habeas corpus asks a judge to decide quickly whether a detention is lawful.
We described the first weeks of his detention in our earlier report on his case. The new claims below come from García’s account.
The Knife and Fifteen Days of Isolation
On Thursday 15 October 2026, a search of his cell turned up a homemade knife. García says it was not his and was planted.
She says fingerprints were never taken. Constantín was then put in isolation for 15 days.
A further case for “disorder and possession of instruments to attack in penal establishments” is to be joined with the disobedience case. He remains in pretrial detention, a measure that keeps a suspect jailed before trial, and we know of no trial date.
Conditions at Kilo 7 Prison
Constantín was moved to Kilo 7 prison in Camagüey on Thursday 24 September, and García says he is held in a unit called “Destacamento 11”.
García visited him on Friday 6 November, after his isolation ended. She found him calm but thinner, and she estimates he has lost about eight pounds.
She says belongings were stolen and that not all the medicine or food the family brings is handed over. She also says officers refused water-purification products.
García describes spoiled food, bedbugs and mosquitoes that raise the risk of dengue, a fever spread by mosquitoes. She says he has received threats of assault, and our report on prison abuse in Cuba in October covers the wider picture.
The prison’s own report, García says, describes him as peaceful, calm and devoted to reading. García quotes him as saying that his only weapon is the word and the truth.
The Claim of Pressure to Leave Cuba
García alleges that State Security, Cuba’s political police, is trying to “wear him down” and push him into exile. She says this includes what she calls a constructed lie, the planting of the knife.
She also cites other prisoners who say an inmate who may have placed the knife was offered a shorter sentence by a State Security agent. We cannot verify this, and we do not name the inmate or the agent.
Press Groups Weigh In
Reporters Without Borders, a Paris press-freedom group, has demanded his release. It counts at least 19 detentions of Constantín linked to his work and says he has been barred from leaving Cuba since 2019.
The CDPC, a Mexico-based prison monitor, listed him among the people most affected in its September report. That report counted 79 rights violations against prisoners that month.
In Plain English
What It Means for You
The case matters in the United States because Washington has made repression in Cuba the stated target of its sanctions. Its order of 1 May 2026 is titled “Imposing Sanctions on Those Responsible for Repression in Cuba” and other threats to US security, as in our report on US sanctions on Cuban oil shippers.
Cuban journalists in exile include some based in the United States. For the wider diplomatic backdrop, see our report on Cuba’s foreign minister and US pressure, and more on our Cuba news page.
What Is Not Known
We do not know whether Cuban authorities will respond, and we found no public response so far. No trial date is known to us.
Whether the knife was planted is disputed: his side says yes, and authorities have not published evidence. Whether anyone offered him exile is only alleged and unverified.
What to Watch Next
Monday 16 November 2026 marks two months since his arrest. Any trial date or official statement would be the next checkpoint.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Henry Constantín?
He directs La Hora de Cuba, an independent magazine in Camagüey. Reporters Without Borders counts at least 19 detentions of him linked to his work.
Why is he in jail?
He is accused of “disobedience” for allegedly missing a summons on Wednesday 9 September 2026, according to Reporters Without Borders. He says he went to the summons, but the officers had already left.
What is the knife case?
A homemade knife was found in a search of his cell on Thursday 15 October 2026, and a further case is to be joined with the first one. His partner says the knife was planted, and we found no public response from Cuban authorities.
How is he now?
His partner says he is calm but thinner, having lost about eight pounds by her estimate. She also reports spoiled food, bedbugs and threats of assault.
Sources: Alejandra García, partner of Constantín: her account of her visit on 6 November 2026 and her post of 9 November 2026 on La Hora de Cuba’s social channels · Reporters Without Borders · Centro de Documentación de Prisiones Cubanas, September 2026 report
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error
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