Police arrested Manuel Guerra Pérez, director of the independent bulletin Cimarrón de Mayabeque, and the outlet’s editor, Lisbey Lora, on November 28, 2016, according to Diario de Cuba.
Guerra Pérez and Lora were arrested while out investigating stories for their publication, according to Cubanet.Vladimir Turro Páez, who contributed to the bulletin and who wrote about their arrest for Cubanet, told CPJ that police raided the journalists’ homes and confiscated material, including a computer and printer used to produce the bulletin.
Cimarrón de Mayabeque is part of the network of independent, local publications supported by the Cuban Institute for Free Expression and the Press. Guerra Pérez reported on local issues, including politics, corruption, and health conditions in the Cuban province of Mayabeque, Normando Hernández, director of the local advocacy group, told CPJ. The September edition, reviewed by CPJ, includes an editorial about internet access, a report about low teacher salaries, and an article about the Panama Papers leak.
Journalists from Cimarrón de Mayabeque had received threats and been briefly detained on previous occasions because of their reporting, according to Hernández. On June 17, 2016, Guerra Pérez and Lora were briefly detained alongside the reporters Aníbal Alemán Jiménez, Rosa Avilés, and Turro Páez. Authorities questioned them about the publication and released them without charge, according to Hablemos Press.
Guerra Pérez’s family was notified of his detention on December 1 and his mother was allowed to briefly visit him, according to Diario de Cuba.