State Security agents (SE) and police arbitrarily detained the Cuban activist Danaisi Muñoz López, from the Coalition of Women X Cuba Libre, this week in Havana for distributing medications to political prisoners.
At 1 PM on Monday, in a massive show of force, uniformed police and operational officials from the SE arrested the activist at the shelter where she resides in the Cerro municipality, and subsequently confiscated medicines intended for political prisoners, as part of her humanitarian work, reported human rights organizations and media outlets.
In the operation, the sector chief of the Police was involved, along with two female officers, a lieutenant colonel, a major, and agents from the political police, specified a report from Martí Noticias.
The arbitrary detention of Muñoz was documented on video by her husband. Initially, several officers argue with her at the door of the house, supposedly because she did not attend a police summons on April 29. Then, they take her to the lower levels of the building, put her in a blue car, and drive her to a PNR station.
There, she was met by other DSE officers, who informed her of the true reason for her arrest: the delivery of medicines to the families of political prisoners, the activist told the organization Prisoners Defenders. “I don’t know how they obtained that information,” she noted.
She revealed that they tried to force her to sign a search warrant at her home, to which she firmly refused: “I told them: I will not give you permission to enter my house because I am not committing any crime.”
"They took me down to the dungeons, then brought me back up; I spent about half an hour inside a cell... Then they put me in an office... and started threatening me that if my husband posted the videos he had filmed here online, they would come to arrest him as well," she recounted.
Later, they transported her in a patrol car to her home, and searched her room for the medications, which they found in some bags she had stored in the closet. The police confiscated the drugs without creating a seizure report or giving her any document to validate the seizure.
“They violated all my legal rights, they did not give me anything; throughout the entire process they conducted, I was not given any paperwork. They violated all my rights,” reported Muñoz, who was released after six in the evening.
The video recorded by her husband shows the sector chief threatening to arrest him for filming. "Keep recording all you want, and we will make the decisions. You can upload it wherever you want," were the intimidating words of the official.
Martí Noticias interviewed the lawyer of the independent organization Cubalex, Alain Espinosa, who stated that Cuban legislation does not prohibit recording. Article 326 of the Criminal Procedure Law of Cuba recognizes recordings as valid if obtained without deception, coercion, intimidation, or violence.
In his interview with the media, Muñoz demanded the return of the medications to continue his work assisting individuals who are imprisoned by the Cuban regime for political reasons.
On May first, members of State Security monitored the activist's house, which she reported on her social media. “We have company for May first, I am besieged. Once again, I repeat: I hold the communist regime of Raúl Castro and Díaz-Canel responsible for anything that may happen to me,” she warned.
The Cuban regime is holding 1,152 political prisoners in custody, reported Prisoners Defenders in a recent report.
Hundreds of them suffer from serious health problems and their lives are at risk due to inhumane conditions in prisons, torture and cruel treatment, and the lack of medical care and medications.
This very week, dozens of national and international organizations raised their voices to demand the immediate and unconditional release of political prisoners in Cuba, particularly the opposition members José Daniel Ferrer and Félix Navarro, who were recently arrested and sent back to prison for alleged violations of parole, in a context marked by the intensification of state repression.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Detention of Danaisi Muñoz López in Cuba
Why was the activist Danaisi Muñoz López arrested in Havana?
Danaisi Muñoz López was detained by State Security agents and the Police in Havana for distributing medications to political prisoners and their relatives. The detention took place at her home in the Cerro municipality, where authorities seized the medicines that were part of her humanitarian work with the Coalition of Women for Free Cuba.
What does Cuban law say about recording police detentions?
According to Article 326 of the Criminal Procedure Law of Cuba, recordings are valid if obtained without deceit, coercion, intimidation, or violence. In the case of Danaisi Muñoz López, her husband recorded the arrest, despite the threats from an officer to detain him for doing so.
What is the current situation of political prisoners in Cuba?
Currently, there are 1,152 political prisoners in Cuba, according to the organization Prisoners Defenders. Many of them suffer from serious health issues due to the inhumane conditions in the prisons, which include a lack of medical care and a shortage of medications.
How has the international community responded to the repression in Cuba?
Dozens of national and international organizations have demanded the immediate and unconditional release of political prisoners in Cuba. State repression has intensified, prompting a global call to halt these practices and to respect human rights on the island.
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