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State security agents threaten
young journalist with imprisonment
Reporters Without Borders, 3 January 2006.
http://www.rsf.org/
Reporters Without Borders today condemned
the use of threats by state security agents
on 29 December against 21-year-old Liannis
Meriño Aguilera, the editor of the
independent Youth without Censorship news
agency.
"We again protest against the constant
harassment of independent journalists by
the Cuban authorities, which is often the
prelude to arbitrary arrests and heavy prison
sentences," the press freedom organisation
said. "We call on the authorities to
let Meriño and her team of young
journalists work freely."
Meriño was arrested at her home
in Obrero Banes (in the eastern province
of Holguín) by two state security
agents, who took her to the local fire brigade
centre and held her there for two hours,
the Cubanet website reported.
The agent in charge of combating the opposition
in Holguín ordered her to stop working
as an independent journalist. He also accused
her of reporting false information, which
is punishable by imprisonment.
After being released, Meriño rejected
the accusation and said she intended to
continue her work. Her news agency, which
was created in September, consists of six
young journalists aged between 19 and 30.
Meriño recently wrote a dispatch
for Cubanet about the dismissal of two persons
from a cigar factory for homosexuality.
It may have been this that prompted the
use of threats by the authorities.
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