Cuba Detains Bethesda-Based Contract Worker

Charges against the contractor are not public yet

U.S. diplomats are trying to figure out why the Cuban government arrested an American citizen.

The State Department says the American, who was detained on December 5th, does do not work for the U.S. government. The person's identity has not been released because of federal privacy law.

The American is a contractor who works for Bethesda-based Development Alternatives, Inc., and was implementing a subcontract to help Cuban civil society organizations, the company said. 

“Our prime concern is for the safety, well-being, and quick return to the United States of the detained individual. We have been working closely with the State Department to ensure that the detainee’s safety and well-being is given top priority,” the company said in a statement.

Charges against the contractor are not public yet, but under Cuban law, a citizen or a foreign visitor can be arrested for nearly anything under the claim of “dangerousness.”

A source told the Washington Post  that the detained American was “working with local organizations that were trying to connect with each other and get connected to the Internet and connect with their affinity groups in the U.S.”

Cell phones and laptops are legal in Cuba, but access to the Internet is restricted to specific locations and certain websites are blocked.

The person also said that Cuban authorities were aware of the project and it’s a mystery why this person was arrested. But it is unclear exactly what the contractor was doing at the time he/she was detained.

Since President Barack Obama took office, relations between the U.S. and Cuba have slowly improved. But the White House has expressed Cuba needs to make the next move, by releasing political prisoners or removing restrictions on the press.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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