Caridad Silvente, mother of Cuban YouTuber Anna Sofía Benítez Silvente, known as Anna Bensi, was interrogated by police in Havana and faces criminal charges that could result in five years in prison for sharing images of an agent.
In Havana, Caridad Silvente, mother of 21-year-old YouTuber Anna Sofía Benítez Silvente, known as Anna Bensi, underwent a nearly two-hour interrogation at a police station in Alamar. Agents accused her of allowing her daughter to post denunciations against the government and threatened her with up to five years in prison under Article 393 of the Cuban Penal Code, which penalizes acts against personal and family privacy.
The criminal proceedings stem from Silvente sharing images of Ministry of the Interior subofficer Yoel Leodan Rabaza Ramos, who delivered a summons to her home. Anna Bensi posted these photos as a denunciation of police intimidation. During the interrogation, officers called her a 'bad mother' and accused her daughter of being 'counterrevolutionary,' conspiring, and receiving orders from the United States. Afterward, Silvente was placed under house arrest, barred from receiving visitors, and required to hire a lawyer within five days. Authorities also stated that Anna Bensi will be summoned soon.
In a Facebook message, Anna Bensi publicly responded to State Security: 'My mom is not a criminal. If anything happens to my mom or to me, it will be your fault.' She added that she will continue expressing her ideas freely without fear. The US Embassy in Cuba questioned on its X profile: 'We have not had the pleasure of meeting Anna Bensi or her mother, but why are the regime’s authorities summoning them? Why are they threatening them?'.
This incident highlights a growing practice of police pressure on relatives of activists. A similar case occurred last Tuesday involving the father of a member of the digital project Fuera de la Caja, who was intercepted at his workplace and threatened with his children's imprisonment if they continue political activity on social media. Fuera de la Caja also reported that Anna Bensi and her mother have had their internet connection cut off, another repressive measure.
The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) has denounced this constant harassment against independent journalists and their relatives in Cuba. In a statement from Miami, IAPA President Pierre Manigault noted that 'the repetition of arrests, police blockades, physical assaults, and threats demonstrates the systematic use of the state apparatus to intimidate and silence journalists.' Martha Ramos, chair of the IAPA’s Press Freedom Commission, added that 'the persecution not only reaches those who report the news, but also their relatives and close associates, in a strategy intended to generate fear and encourage self-censorship'.
The 2025 Chapultepec Index of Freedom of Expression and Press, released by the IAPA, classifies Cuba as having 'High Restriction': 'Cuba presents a strengthened dictatorship that has normalized situations adverse to freedom of expression, refining the restrictive environment to the point of nearly preventing citizen expression'.
