Amnesty International Demands Release of Cuban Journalist

HAVANA TIMES — Amnesty International (AI) on Wednesday demanded the Cuban government release independent journalist Calixto Ramon Martinez Arias, arrested on the island in September, reported the Café Fuerte website.

“The journalist was detained by Cuban police near the Havana airport when investigating whether a consignment of anti-cholera medicine sent by the World Health Organization (WHO) was being held at the airfield,” said a statement issued by AI.

According to the news note, the correspondent from the Information Center of Hablemos Press faces charges of “slandering” Fidel Castro, and could mean a sentence to one to three years in jail.

Martinez, 43, reported on the first cases of cholera in Cuba, published on June 28.