Two brothers, Dariel Agustín Pérez Gainza and Deinier Pérez Gainza, were beaten and arrested this Thursday by officers of the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) in front of the Criminal Operations Unit, in the Versalles district, Santiago de Cuba.
What began as an attempt to prevent young people from recording with a mobile phone has resulted in a serious charge of "Assault and aggression" against a Lieutenant Colonel.
The complaint was reported by independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta, who has shared several updates about the case in recent hours.
According to the testimonies collected by Mayeta, the conflict broke out around 6:30 p.m., when an officer attempted to snatch the phone from the young people, who were recording while discussing the situation of public transportation.
“The soldier began to hit him excessively,” reported a witness, adding that other soldiers quickly joined the assault.
"The young people defended themselves against the blows and also responded to many of the punches and kicks."
The events took place in broad daylight and in front of numerous witnesses, some of whom managed to record the scene, even though others were trying to prevent the filming.
One of these videos was sent to the journalist's page.
Mayeta warned that the brothers were forcibly taken to a police unit's holding cells and their health status is uncertain.
"We do not rule out that they may be tortured or taken out in serious health conditions," he warned.
Profile of the brothers: Workers with no history of violence
The Pérez Gainza brothers have been described by friends and neighbors as exemplary citizens.
Dariel Agustín was a firefighter for many years, while Deinier currently works for the Electric Company of Santiago de Cuba.
According to the testimonies collected by Mayeta, both are seen as "good men, hardworking and not violent."
Their close ones express outrage over what happened: “It is an injustice what was done to them, when on the streets many criminals are roaming freely and are neither attacked nor arrested.”
The family members, who are waiting outside the operations unit, have not been able to see the detainees.
A testimony collected by Yosmany Mayeta summarizes the anguish of the moment: "They say they were immobilizing him and that they weren't hitting him as it appears in the video. The truth is they are full of bruises and they won't let us see them."
This lack of access has raised suspicions about the physical condition of the brothers and the true severity of the assaults.
Urgent call to the authorities
Since his reports, Yosmany Mayeta has demanded direct intervention from the provincial authorities, Beatriz Johnson Urrutia and Manuel Falcón Hernández, calling for transparency and justice.
"Although their uniforms show that they are the ones who 'hold the most power' in the military, they cannot emerge unscathed, especially when it was the military that first attacked two unarmed men," the communicator stated.
Yosmany Mayeta has also urged the community to publicly express their support and for labor organizations of the brothers to respond promptly to this violent act, which many consider arbitrary and abusive.
Filed under:
