Contact: John Suárez (612) 367-6845

Center for a Free Cuba, May 26, 2026, Washington, DC. Independent journalist Yeris Curbelo Aguilera—who was released from prison on May 24 after serving an arbitrary two-year prison sentence—was attacked with machetes and stones during an “act of repudiation” orchestrated by State Security agents and the same criminals who, after attacking him in 2024, had landed him in prison.

“I was released from prison on May 24 of this year; I have now fully served the sentence for which I was unjustly convicted—for the entire trial was a sham designed to get me off the streets; the dictatorship wanted to get me off the streets. On the very day I regained my freedom upon completing my sentence—Sunday, May 24—my family and I, here at my home, fell victim to a vandalous act of repudiation. We were attacked with stones and machetes, sustaining injuries at the hands of these individuals who vilely assaulted our home and attacked us personally. The objective is to intimidate people—to demonstrate that they [the regime] still maintain a certain degree of control over those of us who oppose the totalitarian Castroist regime,” stated Yeris Curbelo in a video sent to the Center for a Free Cuba.

The dissident and independent journalist further denounced the fact that the very same criminals who had attacked him in 2024 were the ones who carried out this act of repudiation, hurling stones, brandishing machetes, and issuing threats. The ringleader of these criminals is Adrián Fuentes Laffita, who issued death threats against him.

“I remain steadfast in the struggle, standing firm in my commitment to a democratic transition in Cuba. It is vital that the world be made aware of this act of vandalism, for it is a profound injustice—an act of aggression and assault against individuals simply for desiring freedom for Cuba,” affirmed Curbelo Aguilera from Caimanera, Guantánamo.

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