The Diplomat
ABC’s Havana correspondent, Camila Acosta, was released from jail this morning, according to the journalist herself, minutes after leaving the Diez de Octubre y Acosta police station, where she was being held. ABC reported that its correspondent is now under house arrest.
Acosta was arrested on Monday as she was leaving her home in Havana to carry out a personal errand, hours after she had been covering the protests in the Cuban capital against the Castro regime.
The journalist had been blocked from accessing the Internet and the WhatsApp instant messaging application since late Sunday, which, according to ABC, “justified” her not responding to messages and calls.
As her father confirmed days later, the Cuban regime was going to prosecute her for contempt of court and public disorder, while Camila herself explained to ABC that before releasing her from prison they wanted her to sign a document accepting the charge of public disorder, which carries the penalty of a fine. “I refused because I didn’t do anything. I only went to the demonstration to cover it,” she said.
The arrest of the correspondent sparked a wave of support and calls for her release from various quarters, from the Spanish government to the Republican senator Marco Rubio.
