“José Gabriel Barrenechea’s unjust detention underscores the risks faced by journalists who challenge authority. While his voice is now silenced, his courage continues to resonate for those who defy repression. We must act now to demand his release and defend the right to free press, without fear of reprisal.” Burhan Sonmez, President of PEN International

3 May 2025 (updated on 6 May): José Gabriel Barrenechea, a Cuban independent journalist and author, has been detained since November 2024 after participating in protests over Cuba’s energy crisis. He was arrested for allegedly leading a demonstration and charged with ‘public disorder’, carrying a potential sentence of three to eight years. Barrenechea’s detention has been marked by severe human rights violations, including poor prison conditions, denial of legal independent defence, and isolation from his family. His health has deteriorated due to a hunger strike, and his elderly mother, who was suffering from cancer and died on 4 May, has been denied the right to see him. PEN International calls for Barrenechea’s immediate release and an end to the repression of dissent in Cuba.

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PEN International urgently calls for the immediate release of José Gabriel Barrenechea and demands that the Cuban government end its ongoing repression of artists, journalists, and writers critical of the authorities. Barrenechea’s detention is a clear violation of his right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, as outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Cuba is a signatory. We urge the Cuban authorities to honour their international commitments and ensure a safe, free environment for all individuals exercising their right to freedom of expression.

President Sr. Miguel Díaz-Canel:
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @DiazCanelB
Minister of Justice Oscar Silvera Martínez:
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @CubaMinjus
Facebook: @MinisterioJusticiaCuba
Minister of Culture Alpidio Alonso-Grau:
Twitter: @AlpidioAlonsoG
Facebook: @MinisterioCulturaCuba
Minister of Foreign Affairs (Minrex) Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla:
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @BrunoRguezP
Facebook: @CubaMINREX
Please send emails to the Embassy of the Republic of Cuba in your own country.

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Spread the word about José Gabriel Barrenechea’s case on social media. Use the hashtags #JoseGabrielBarrenechea, #WPFD, #WPFD25 and #WorldPressFreedomDay, tagging @peninternational (Instagram), facebook.com/peninternational (Facebook), @peninternational.bsky.social (Bluesky) and @penamericas.bsky.social (Bluesky).

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Background
A writer, journalist and researcher, José Gabriel Barrenechea Chávez has been detained since his arrest on 8 November 2024, following his participation in protests over Cuba’s ongoing energy crisis. That month, regional NGOs recorded at least 792 protests across the country, including 14 between 7 and 11 November in municipalities such as Encrucijada (Villa Clara).
Barrenechea was charged with ‘public disorder’, an offence often used to suppress dissent, and faces a possible sentence of three to eight years in prison. He has denied these accusations and denounced the serious irregularities surrounding his case, including the lack of due process and access to independent legal defence.
Currently imprisoned in La Pendiente prison in Santa Clara, known for its overcrowded and poor conditions, Barrenechea’s health has deteriorated significantly. He went on a 10-day hunger strike shortly after his arrest and is now suffering from extreme malnutrition, stomach and skin infections, sleep disorders, anxiety and depression. His detention has also caused immense hardship for his 84-year-old mother, who suffers from advanced cancer and has been prevented by the authorities from visiting him.
Barrenechea has faced systematic harassment since 2019 for his critical journalism, including a travel ban, employment restrictions, and the censorship of his books in Cuba—part of a broader campaign of repression against independent journalists and government critics. He was repeatedly summoned by state security and briefly detained in attempts to intimidate him and silence his work.
His published works include Tubular Bells and Other Stories and Cuba, an Island Between Apathy and Revolution, and José Antonio Saco runs out of arguments Before his arrest, Barrenechea also contributed to independent Cuban and international media outlets such as 14ymedio, Diario de Cuba and Latinoamérica 21, and co-edited the magazine Cuadernos de Pensamiento Plural.
PEN International is gravely concerned over the violations of Barrenechea’s rights and calls for his immediate release. His detention represents a wider pattern of repression against writers, artists, and journalists critical of the Cuban government. This systematic targeting is detailed in PEN International’s report Método Cuba, produced with Cubalex and ARC, which documents the Cuban authorities’ use of harassment, censorship, imprisonment, and forced exile to silence dissent. PEN International urges the authorities to uphold their international human rights obligations and to ensure a safe and free environment for all those exercising their right to freedom of expression.
For more information about PEN International’s work on Cuba, please click here

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Note to editors:

For further information please contact Alicia Quiñones, PEN International Head of the Americas Region, [email protected].
For media queries, please contact Sabrina Tucci, PEN International Communications and Campaigns Manager, [email protected].

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