Police Search Home of Cuban ‘YouTuber’

Police Search Home of Cuban 'YouTuber' / 14ymedio

14ymedio Havana, 8 February 2017 – Officers from Cuba's National
Revolutionary Police searched the home of 'YouTuber' and activist Alexei
Gamez, in Jagüey Grande in the province of Matanzas. According to
Eliecer Avila, leader of the Somos+ (We Are More) Movement, the agents
entered the house in the morning and have not allowed access to family
or friends.

"During the search they seized numerous appliances and the phones of all
the family members," explained Avila. Another source close to Gámez
detailed that the young man was taken from his home "in police custody"
and taken away in a patrol car. His mother tried to take a photo of the
moment, but as a result was also arrested.

Alexei Gámez is a member of Somos+ and a self-employed worker. "He has a
license that allows him to work as a motorcycle mechanic," Avila
explained. The activist is part of the Methodist community and in recent
days has created a channel on YouTube to teach Cubans how to "make
better use of the internet" on the island.

Under the name "Calle Mora," the channel broadcasts advice on wireless
networks and content sharing. To date it has published two videos with
"alternative solutions to connect and better understand technology,"
explains its creator.

Last November, Gámez was detained for seven days along with other
members of the movement, after being arrested when he tried to
participate in Academy 1010, a civic development initiative promoted by
Somos+.

The latest video could be the cause of the police response as it details
how to configure a NanoStation , a device for wireless communication
widely used in alternative networks and to connect to the
Telecommunications Company of Cuba's (ETECSA) wifi service, which is now
available in more than one hundred plazas and parks in the country.

NanoStations have never been marketed in state stores, but are offered
in the informal market at prices ranging from 180 to 250 Cuban
convertible pesos (roughly the same in dollars). Bringing them into the
country is regulated by the General Customs of the Republic, which
requires the traveler to show authorization for the device from the
Ministry of Communications.

Last November, Gámez was detained for seven days along with other
members of the movement, after being arrested when he tried to
participate in Academy 1010, a civic development initiative promoted by
Somos+.

According to a report released Monday by the Cuban Commission for Human
Rights and National Reconciliation, there have been 478 arbitrary
arrests against dissidents. The independent entity also denounces the
"seizures of their means of labor (laptops, cameras, mobile phones, etc.)."

Source: Police Search Home of Cuban 'YouTuber' / 14ymedio – Translating
Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/police-search-home-of-cuban-youtuber-14ymedio/