More than a month after their February 6, 2026, arrest in Holguín—initially reported as a crackdown on youth dissent—Ernesto Ricardo Medina (known as Tico) and Kamil Zayas Pérez, creators of the critical El4tico social media account, remain detained. Medina's three-year-old daughter Emma has not seen her father, leaving the family in emotional and financial distress. Cubalex and Amnesty International have condemned the detentions as free speech violations.
Ernesto Ricardo Medina and Kamil Zayas Pérez were arrested by Cuban political police in Holguín's Piedra Blanca neighborhood on February 6 for posts on their El4tico Instagram and Facebook account, which critiques current events and Cuban history. Key videos included Medina declaring on January 26: “Jesus is Lord, not the Cuban Communist Party.” On February 3, he stated: “The days of this dictatorship have come to an end, at least as we know it.”
As of mid-March, the duo remains in custody, amplifying the personal toll. Medina's young daughter has been separated from her father, exacerbating family struggles amid Cuba's economic woes. Advocacy groups Cubalex and Amnesty International have highlighted the case as emblematic of suppressed expression, building on earlier concerns about silencing young activists.
