The third night of total blackout in Cuba was the scene of new protests in cities across the country, as well as threats of violent repression from the regime. Images of a large police deployment in Santiago de Cuba confirm the tension that is felt during these grim hours.
A video shared on social media by independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada showed the deployment of several patrols from the National Revolutionary Police (PNR) through the streets of the city.
In the midst of total darkness, only pierced by the lights of vehicles, at least six patrols were recorded entering a neighborhood in Santiago, amid rumors and expressions of indignation from the residents.
"Johnson is afraid and militarizes the streets of Santiago de Cuba for fear of popular protests," Mayeta Labrada indicated in her post, referring to the first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) in the province, Beatriz Johnson Urrutia.
Known for her "hard hand," the official is remembered for her decision to climb onto the rooftop of a house to quell a massive protest from residents of Santiago, who took to the streets in mid-March shouting "Power and food!"
This Saturday, after two consecutive days without electricity, dozens of residents of Santiago de Cuba took to the streets to protest with a pot-and-pan rally, accompanied by desperate shouts of "Turn the power back on!"
At least in two neighborhoods of the city, the expressions of protest were heard. In the San Pedrito district, the demands of "electricity and food!" were heard again, which mobilized Johnson Urrutia last March.
In the protest videos shared on social media, the almost immediate appearance of police patrols and state security agents can be seen, who prohibited the recording of the events.
Governor of Santiago de Cuba, before replacing the dismissed first secretary of the PCC, José Ramón Monteagudo Ruiz, in February, Johnson Urrutia is also remembered for scolding the deputy provincial director of the Food Industry, Elizabeth Perera Segura, on local television in 2022, when she exclaimed: “How are you going to say that, girl? Are you crazy?”
Connoted as a repressor and one of those responsible for the imprisonment of the opposition leader of the Cuban Patriotic Union, José Daniel Ferrer, since the historic protests of July 11, 2021, Johnson Urrutia has once again demonstrated a "hard hand" in response to the discontent of the people of Santiago, reminding them that, beyond rooftops and television studios, he controls a powerful repressive machinery and has the support of the leadership of the totalitarian regime.
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