Independent journalist bullied by State Security at the airport and on the way back home

Lázaro Luis Ruiz Echevarría was on his way back from Madrid, Spain to the José Martí International Airport in Havana. When he was walking to the Customs, State Security officials from Pinar del Río, Lieutenant Colonel Beune and Captain Juan Pérez, were already present, giving instruction to the customs officers to search Lázaro completely. They started with the search at 9:50 pm and fisnished at 2 am. They did not find anything suspicious, except for some pullovers, which Lázaro brought as a present to some of his friends. The pullovers were confiscated and Lázaro was released. On their way from the airport to home, the taxi he was traveling in with his family was stopped on the 96th kilometer of the Pinar del Rio Highway by State Security patrol car. Four uniformed officials, three man and one women, detained the taxi and Lázaro was put in the patrol car. Instead of taking him to the nearby police station, he was driven, followed by his family in the taxi, to an agricultural area, where another search started. The officials confiscated him his laptop, cell phone, tablet, three flash memories and the amount of 315 euro. He was not allowed to show them receipts proving that he was the owner of the confiscated things. During the detention, the officials treated him badly, threatening him and mocking his family. The officials refused to give Lázaro any confirmation that they had confiscated some of his personal items. At 6 am, he was released and could have continued to Pinar del Río.