Activist Anna Sofía Benítez Silvente ("Anna Bensi"), evangelical pastor Rolando Pérez Lora ("Pregonero de Cristo"), and siblings Amanda Beatriz Andrés Navarro and Abel Alejandro Andrés Navarro from the youth collective Fuera de la Caja Cuba have been detained for more than eight hours in various police stations across Havana without any of them being released.
According to reports posted on Facebook at 6:10 p.m. on Thursday, they were all summoned at 10:00 a.m. Anna Bensi and Pregonero de Cristo were called to the Alamar police station in East Havana, whereas Betty and Abel were taken to the National Revolutionary Police Unit on Aguilera Street, located in the 10th of October municipality.
David Espinosa, who monitored the situation and reported it, stated, "The only word that comes to mind is 'TORTURE.' But the world sees it now."
Fuera de la Caja Cuba also spoke out on social media: "8 hours and still waiting. Anna and Rolando are in the same position. We won't leave without our brothers."
Their detention far exceeded the two-hour legal limit set by Cuban law for police interviews, constituting a blatant violation of the regime's legal framework.
Intimidation Tactics
Anna Bensi's summons was signed by First Lieutenant Julio Torres Suárez for an "official warning," a tactic that human rights groups view as an intimidation tool before criminal proceedings.
The summons came days after a public confrontation between the activist and Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, a former intelligence agent and national coordinator of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution.
Anna Bensi has been under house arrest since March 25, 2026, accused alongside her mother of "acts against personal privacy" for sharing a video of a MININT agent delivering an irregular summons at her home. She faces potential sentences ranging from two to five years in prison.
Crackdown on Dissent
Pregonero de Cristo was arrested on March 15, 2026, in a park in Peñas Altas, Matanzas, for public prayer and uploading a biblical video to YouTube.
His situation was documented by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and highlighted by the head of the U.S. diplomatic mission in Cuba, Mike Hammer.
Founded in early 2026 by four young individuals from Havana's Cerro neighborhood, Fuera de la Caja Cuba demands the release of over a thousand political prisoners in Cuba. Since its inception, the group has faced phone disconnections, account hacks, and threats of imprisonment against their families.
This Thursday's events are part of a series of reprisals that the regime has intensified in 2026 against digital and religious activists on the island. As of this report's publication, none of the four detainees had been released.
Understanding the Detainment of Cuban Activists
Why were Anna Bensi and the others detained?
They were detained after being summoned by police for various reasons, including Anna Bensi's public confrontation with a former intelligence agent and the group's activism for political prisoner releases.
What is Fuera de la Caja Cuba?
Fuera de la Caja Cuba is a youth collective founded in 2026 that advocates for the release of political prisoners in Cuba and has been subjected to various forms of state repression.
How long can Cuban police legally detain someone for questioning?
Cuban law stipulates a two-hour limit for police questioning, which was exceeded in this case, leading to claims of unlawful detention.