Cuba: CFWIJ Demands A Swift Investigation Into The Devastating Attack On Journalist Mabel Páez
Location: Cuba, Artemisa
Date: December 15, 2021
PHOTO CREDIT: YAMIL LAGE/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is devastated by the physical assault against journalist Mabel Páez, the director of El Majadero de Artemisa. We urge Cuban authorities to conduct a swift investigation into the incident and find perpetrators immediately.
Two unidentified masked men physically assaulted journalist Mabel Páez at her home. The journalist was beaten by two men who entered her house around 8:30 a.m on December 7 according to the Cuban Institute for Freedom of Expression and Press (ICLEP). "My 19-year-old son had just left and suddenly I saw that two men with black masks entered the front door and went upstairs and beat me up without saying a word," the journalist told ICLEP. The assailants physically attacked the reporter and left severe injuries that the journalist had. She had swollen chin, bruises, and scratches on her left eyebrow, mouth, nose, arms, and torso. Also, the two fingers on her right hand were injured.
Nothing was stolen at Mabel’s house but the attackers left her house telling her “This is the first warning”. The journalist said that State Security was responsible for the assault as well as for any future attempts against her or her family.
"I don't have enemies. I can't think of anything else. Those who entered my house and beat me were coming from State Security or sent by them," Mabel said. She could not identify the two assailants and she only heard the sound of a motorcycle moving away from her house after they left. Mabel went to the hospital straight after the incident to get a medical report for her injuries, however, a police officer prevented her and suggested she go home and rest.
On December 1, El Majadero de Artemisa reported on a teenager’s death during military training. The assault occurred only two days later when State Security agents raided the journalist’s house on December 5, supposedly in search of the executive director of ICLEP, Alberto Corzo. The journalist was kept at home under police custody all day and barred from leaving her house.
ICLEP expressed concern about journalists’ safety. “The Cuban Institute for Freedom of Expression and Press condemns the Havana regime for the systematic abuses against independent journalists and demands justice not only for Mabel Páez but also for all communicators who are currently languishing in prisons Cubans,” ICLEP said in a statement.
The CFWIJ expresses its utmost concern about Mabel Páez and her family’s safety. We extend our solidarity with her and demand a swift investigation into this brutal assault from Cuban authorities. The perpetrators must be found immediately for justice.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.