Yosmany Mayeta Reports Threats from Cuba Following Investigation into Fatal Accident Involving Juan Guillermo Almeida

Independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada, currently based in Washington D.C., has come forward with claims of receiving direct threats via WhatsApp from a Cuban number. These threats are believed to be in retaliation for his investigative reporting on a deadly accident in Santiago de Cuba, which multiple sources suggest could involve Juan Guillermo Almeida (JG), the son of the late Revolutionary Commander Juan Almeida Bosque.

The menacing message was received late Friday night at 10:55 p.m. from the Cuban number +53 5 9568243, listed under the name "Liova" on WhatsApp.

The sender initially attempted a direct call; when that went unanswered, they sent a message and tried calling again. The call lasted 51 seconds. The message was clear and threatening: "We will knock on your door at 10:00 in the morning."

Mayeta took to Facebook to share the threat, revealing the phone number and indicating suspicion that the sender is "someone close to Juan Guillermo Almeida" who is "allegedly connected to State Security and serving the communist leaders."

Challenging Intimidation from Afar

"They act with such ease, as if they were still in Cuba. As if the rules here were the same. As if the fear they spread on the island traveled with them. They chose the wrong country," the journalist expressed.

The threats emerge amidst Mayeta's ongoing investigation into the fatal accident that took place on May 1 at the intersection of 2nd and Escario streets in the Santa Bárbara district of Santiago de Cuba, notoriously known as "the corner of death."

During the incident, Agustín Maceo Perdomo, known as "Pacolo," was hit while riding his scooter. He later arrived at the Saturnino Lora Provincial Hospital claiming he had "fallen," without mentioning the collision. Hours later, he experienced seizures and incoherence, was diagnosed with a cerebral hemorrhage, and tragically passed away on May 5. He leaves behind a young daughter and wife.

Voices Against Impunity

Last Thursday, JG's brother and Cuban dissident in exile in Miami, Juan Juan Almeida, broke his silence in a live Facebook broadcast, stating that his brother asserted "he wasn't driving," but that he would "face the consequences like a man."

Juan Juan Almeida also highlighted the systemic impunity of the regime: "If a powerful individual is guilty of anything, often nothing happens. There's no jail, no trial, no culpability, no prosecution, no laws, no equality, nothing."

JG, a salsa and reggaeton musician with business ties in Santiago de Cuba and connections to the state power, has fueled public indignation over concerns that the case might be swept under the rug.

Standing Firm Against Harassment

Mayeta is no stranger to harassment. He has faced physical attacks near the Cuban diplomatic mission in Washington D.C. and has consistently documented the regime's repression.

The Inter American Press Association condemned the increased repression against independent Cuban journalists in March, describing it as a "persistent pattern of state harassment."

In his public statement, the journalist was unequivocal: "If anything happens to me in the United States, or to my relatives in Cuba, the responsibility lies directly with the individual behind that number and with their boss, Juan Guillermo Almeida.

This is not a threat to be pocketed. It's a public denunciation. They have a name, they have a number, and now they have an audience."