José Gabriel Barrenechea Chavéz

José Gabriel Barrenechea Chávez, an independent writer and journalist, was convicted of the crime of “public disorder” –a charge commonly used to criminalize protest– and sentenced to six years in prison by the Villa Clara Provincial People’s Court on January 15, 2026. 

José had been detained on November 8, 2024, following his participation in a peaceful protest against blackouts in Encrucijada, Villa Clara. His trial, held on September 24, 2025, took place in a militarized courtroom, raising serious concerns about due process and the independence of the judiciary.

Born in Encrucijada in 1971, Barrenechea is the author of Campanas Tubulares y otros cuentos, Cuba, una isla entre la apatía y la revolución, and José Antonio Saco se queda sin argumentos. He has contributed to independent media outlets such as 14ymedio, Diario de Cuba, and Latinoamérica 21. His writing often examines the social, political, and economic realities of contemporary Cuba. For years, he has been one of the most critical intellectual voices in central Cuba, which has made him a target of systematic harassment, censorship, and police surveillance since 2019.

Barrenechea has faced serious health problems in detention, including malnutrition, infections, anxiety, depression, and emotional deterioration, exacerbated by the precarious conditions of his imprisonment. He has also been subjected to particularly cruel treatment. During his mother Zoila Chávez’s terminal illness, authorities repeatedly denied his requests to see her one last time. Despite her pleas, his petitions, and calls from more than twenty organizations, he was only allowed to attend her wake in May 2025 for one and a half hours under heavy police supervision.

Organizations including PEN International have raised concerns that his case is marked by procedural irregularities and forms part of a broader pattern of repression against those exercising freedom of expression in Cuba. His case illustrates the risks faced by writers and journalists who engage in peaceful expression in Cuba.

Published on 10 April 2026.