Cuban journalist threatened with exile
The Committee to Protect Journalists reports that Cuban journalist Austin Llerandi has been given two months to leave the country or face jail for his
Cuban journalist Austin Llerandi has been given two months to leave the country or face imprisonment. The 36-year-old director of the Havana community outlet Amanecer Habanero was threatened by a State Security officer following a five-hour interrogation on August 21, 2026, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
Llerandi has been detained numerous times in recent months. His work is considered a crime under Cuba's penal code, which prohibits defying "socialist law" or working as a journalist outside state-controlled media.
Constitutional rights versus penal code
These laws directly conflict with the Cuban constitution. The constitution recognizes freedom of the press, freedom of thought and expression, and establishes the people's right to the free development of their personality. Yet the state uses its legal code to suppress independent voices.
Llerandi is being investigated for a possible violation of Decree 370. This decree bans media publications not authorized by the state. The August interrogation at the Marianao police station was the second such threat in a month; he was also interrogated and threatened with jail for "crimes against State Security" on July 14.
Call to end harassment
CPJ's regional director for the Americas, José Zamora, called for an immediate end to the harassment. "No journalist should have to choose between prison and exile simply for doing their job," Zamora stated. He asserted that Llerandi has the right to remain in Cuba and practice journalism freely, without threats, detention, or intimidation.
Llerandi edits the Amanecer Habanero newsletter, published by the Cuban Institute for Freedom of Expression and the Press (ICLEP). He told CPJ he plans to "stay true to myself" and continue producing "the kind of journalism I believe in."
Exile media group funding
Amanecer Habanero is one of several outlets belonging to ICLEP, a Cuban exile media group. ICLEP has received funding from the U.S.-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED). The NED is a non-profit foundation that manages U.S. government-funded democracy and press freedom programs globally. ICLEP has been publishing newsletters since 2012.
CPJ urges the Cuban government to cease its campaign against Austin Llerandi. The organization documents this case as part of its ongoing monitoring of civil and political rights for journalists worldwide.
