The organization Cuban Repressors included prosecutor Ayrebi Miranda Pérez in its list of officials implicated in human rights violations, due to his role in the criminalization of demonstrators who peacefully protested against the blackouts in the municipality of Encrucijada, Villa Clara.
Miranda Pérez, a member of the Criminal Proceedings Department of the Provincial Prosecutor's Office of Villa Clara, was accused of a lack of procedural guarantees, abuse of power, and political persecution.
According to the documentation shared on their website by the civic platform, the prosecutor requested harsh prison sentences —ranging from 4 to 9 years— against six citizens who participated in a pot-banging protest on November 7, 2024, in front of the local government and Communist Party headquarters, demanding the restoration of electricity service after more than 48 hours without power.
The prosecution's accusation was based solely on the fact that the demonstrators beat pots and shouted slogans like "We want electricity!". Nevertheless, Miranda Pérez charged them with the alleged offense of public disorder, without providing evidence that demonstrated any violence or harm, which has been labeled by human rights organizations as a political repression act.
Among those convicted are Yandry Torres Quintana and Rafael Javier Camacho Herrera, for whom the maximum sentence of nine years in prison has been requested. Also prosecuted were José Gabriel Barrenechea Chávez, Rodel Rodríguez Espinosa, Marcos Daniel Díaz Rodríguez, and Yuniesky Lorences Domínguez, all residents of the municipality.
The events took place amid a severe energy crisis that has sparked protests in various provinces across the country. Authorities responded with internet shutdowns, arbitrary arrests, and excessive use of force, according to reports from organizations such as Cubalex and Justicia 11J. In the case of Encrucijada, at least eight people were arrested following the protests.
One of the arrested individuals, Alejandro Morales Pereira, was later accused of inciting protests on social media. He is currently held in La Pendiente prison, where, according to reports from Cubalex, he has been a victim of mistreatment and abuse, and he recently attempted suicide due to the lack of medical attention and the inhumane conditions of his confinement.
The inclusion of Ayrebi Miranda Pérez in the database of repressors aims to highlight and document the cases of officials who, from their positions, contribute to maintaining political repression in Cuba, operating under judicial structures that lack guarantees.
The case of José Gabriel Barrenechea: Family Pain and Injustice
One of the most striking cases among those convicted for the protests in Encrucijada is that of independent writer and journalist José Gabriel Barrenechea Chávez, who has been detained since November 2024 for participating in the peaceful cacerolazo that was suppressed by Miranda Pérez as the prosecutor of the dictatorship.
Barrenechea Chávez was not only deprived of his freedom without due process guarantees, but he was also separated from his mother, Zoila Esther Chávez Pérez, who is 84 years old and suffering from cancer, and who depended entirely on him for her survival.
Zoila passed away in May 2025 without being able to say goodbye to her son, after months of institutional neglect and emotional deterioration due to his absence.
Despite repeated requests from family members and activists, the regime did not allow Barrenechea Chávez to see her alive. Only after her passing was he briefly transferred, under strict surveillance, to say his final goodbye. The encounter lasted less than an hour and was described by witnesses as an act of “institutional cruelty.”
In a letter written from prison, published by independent media, Barrenechea Chávez expressed his regret for not having been able to ask for forgiveness or receive his mother's blessing: "What I am I owe to the home where I was born, and in that home my mom was the heart and the brain."
The case of Barrenechea is a testament to the devastating impact that the regime's political repression has on Cuban families, especially when it extends beyond the cell and reaches the most essential ties of human existence. This impact is also the responsibility of those who carry out the systematic repression of the regime, such as prosecutor Ayrebi Miranda Pérez.
Filed under: