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On February 2nd two Cuban libertarian activists, Ubaldo Herrera Hernandez of Mises Cuba and Manuel Velazquez Visea, were arrested. The two were targeted by Cuban police outside of the Benjamin Franklin Library, which opened last December to provide Cubans access to libertarian ideas.

According to Nelson Rodriguez Chartrand, a lawyer with Mises Cuba, the wife of Mr. Visea has been informed that the two will face the charge of “distributing enemy propaganda,” in addition to the “assault” charges they faced for not providing registration to an undercover officer.

Since the arrest, the two have been moved to Melena II, a maximum security prison in the town of Melena del Sur. The prison has a long history of housing political dissidents, including Andres Fidel Alfondo Rodriguez, a fellow human rights activist, and Du Bouchet Hernández, an independent journalist on the island. As Zachary Foster of the Libertarian Party of Nevada has noted, Melena II has a long history of human rights violations.

The Mises Institute remains in contact with members of Mises Cuba (which is not owned by or affiliated with the Mises Institute in Auburn), and will provide updates as new information becomes available.