A version of this post appeared on Uncommon Sense earlier this month.
Cuban independent journalist Calixto Martinez faces up to three years in prison on a charge of "disrespecting the figures of Fidel and Raul Castro" -after he was arrested Sept. 16 at Jose Marti International Airport.
Martinez, 42, a correspondent with the CIHPRESS news agency, had gone to the airport to investigate the condition of several tons of medications and medical equipment donated by the World Health Organizationn that somehow had ruined.
Martinez, who has been detained numerous times before, earlier this summer broke the story about an outbreak of cholera and dengue on the island.
Under the Cuban penal code, a charge of "disrespect" carries a punishment of up to 3 years in prison. The dictatorship frequently uses the charge to target its political opponents.
"He is the most active journalist in our agency, and they want to silence him in this way," said Roberto Guerra, head of CIHPRESS.
Like many other independent journalists on the island, Martinez is a graduate of a Florida International University journalism course offered via teleconference at the U.S. Interest Section in Havana.
The InterAmerican Press Association and Reporters Without Borders have both called on the Castro dictatorship to release Martinez.
And Martinez's colleagues at CIHPRESS have started an Internet-based campaign to demand his release. You can join it via Facebook or on Twitter @liberenacalixto.
You can also sign a petition here.
* Poster by Rolando Pulido.
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