United States Agency for Global Media

Miami — The Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB) strongly condemns the arbitrary arrest and subsequent fine imposed on Cuban opposition leader Oscar Elías Biscet. This repressive act, carried out on Monday, September 23 in Lawton, Havana, once again highlights the climate of oppression and persecution that the Cuban regime exercises against those who peacefully express their dissent and defend fundamental rights on the island.

Sylvia Rosabal, Director of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, vehemently denounced the detention of Dr. Biscet. “It is unacceptable for the regime to choose to increase repression and silence dissenting voices instead of seeking peaceful and democratic solutions to the problems facing society,” said OCB Director Sylvia Rosabal.

Dr. Biscet, was honored with USAGM’s David Burke Award for journalistic excellence in 2022 and received the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2007, was detained without any apparent reason while on his way to visit families of political prisoners in San Antonio de los Baños—the site of the most significant anti-government protests in decades on July 11, 2021. The pretext for his arrest, an alleged violation of a non-existent “security perimeter,” both legally and physically, highlights the arbitrary nature of this detention.

Dr. Biscet was held at the police station for over 12 hours in a clear act of intimidation. This unjustified action adds to the recent wave of repression that has also targeted other civil society leaders.

Oscar Elias Biscet hosts Lawton Libre, a weekly radio program aired on Radio Martí that discusses current events and human rights issues in Cuba and globally.