More detainees identified in protests against power outages in Cuba

Arbitrary detentions following peaceful protests in Cuba against prolonged blackouts. The regime intensifies repression in Villa Clara and Ciego de Ávila.

Protests in Cuba (Reference Image)Photo © Norlys Pérez / Reuters /

New arrests made by the repressive forces of the Cuban regime have come to light following a wave of peaceful demonstrations on the island, triggered by prolonged blackouts that severely impact the population. These power outages are due to the recent total collapse of the National Electric System (SEN) and the effects of natural disasters that have struck the country.

The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH) has reported the names of several detainees, particularly in the provinces of Villa Clara and Ciego de Ávila.

In Villa Clara, arrests are concentrated in the mountainous municipality of Manicaragua, an area affected by the rains caused by the feeder bands of Hurricane Rafael.

From the town of La Moza in Manicaragua, it has been reported that the police have detained Lizander Morera, Leonel Débora, Roy Galindo, Yoeny Cruz León, and Rafael Bode.

In Ciego de Ávila, specifically in the locality of El Eucalipto in the municipality of Ciro Redondo, Adiane Hernández Calderón, Yordanka López González, and Diosbany Almaguer were arrested.

These arrests occur within a context of widespread crisis on the island, which has intensified the repression by the Cuban regime.

The Attorney General's Office of the Republic of Cuba (FGR) recently confirmed the initiation of criminal proceedings against individuals who participated in protests related to the ongoing blackouts affecting the country.

According to a statement from the FGR, the protesters are charged with offenses of assault, public disorder, and damage, and they have been placed under the precautionary measure of provisional detention. Authorities indicate that the incidents include assaults on officials and inspectors, who reportedly sustained injuries and disruptions to public order.

However, recent images from the protests circulating on social media show the demonstrators in peaceful behavior, limited to chants and banging pots, with no signs of violence.

In Encrucijada, also in Villa Clara, protests occurred last week. The residents of this town, after more than 48 hours without electricity, gathered in front of the Municipal Assembly of People's Power on November 7 to express their outrage through a pot-banging demonstration. The following day, the repressive forces detained several of the protesters.

Other locations, such as Guanabacoa and El Vedado in Havana, have also been the scene of protests where citizens demand an urgent response from the regime regarding the collapse of the electrical system.

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