Independent Cuban journalist Roberto Quiñones was released Friday (September 4th) after serving a one-year prison sentence for "
resistance and disobedience,
" he told AFP, a case that had prompted condemnation from states -United.
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"
I just arrived home, they released me about an hour ago, and I'm still a bit lost, because I spent a whole year in prison,
" he said. told AFP by phone from his home in Guantanamo (east).
"
I try to find my bearings, after having served an unfair sanction, because I did not commit the offense of which they (the government, editor's note) accuse me
" and "
I will never agree with this sentence
" .
"Pressure and threats"
The 61-year-old journalist, who has worked for the independent portal Cubanet since 2012, was sentenced on August 7, 2019 by the Guantanamo municipal court to one year in prison for “
resistance and disobedience
”.
He had been imprisoned on September 11.
He said that in prison, he was forbidden "
certain visits
" from his wife and that he "
received pressure and threats to stop writing for Cubanet, but I am not a man to give in to this genre. pressure or betray its principles,
”he said.
This journalist's case sparked reactions in the international community, especially in the United States.
"
We condemn the injustices committed against the Cuban journalist Roberto Quiñones, arrested for having informed about the repression of religious freedom in Cuba,
" US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted in August 2019.
Thursday, the main American diplomat for Latin America, Michael Kozak, again demanded "
his release
", calling on the "
democratic partners (of the United States, editor's note) to ensure that the respect of human rights or a prerequisite in any relationship with Cuba
”.
Quiñones said he thanked "
the media, international organizations, the United States government and all who intervened
" on his behalf.
In its 2020 world press freedom ranking, Reporters Without Borders awarded Cuba 171st place (out of 180), denouncing "
the arrests and imprisonments of journalists deemed embarrassing
".