An alleged police abuse incident shook the community of Palma Soriano, in Santiago de Cuba, following the arbitrary arrest of Roberto Bonne Lugo, known as “Petillo,” aged 39.
According to eyewitnesses, two agents from the Revolutionary National Police (PNR) burst into a home on December 4 without a warrant and in search of another individual.
Upon not finding the person they intended to arrest, the officers decided to take Roberto, even though he had no connection to the case and there was no crime, accusation, or legal reason for his detention, reported independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada via his profile on Facebook.
Witnesses reported that the man was violently beaten and subdued in front of neighbors, family, and friends.
His 11-year-old son witnessed the scene, watching as his father was taken from their home against his will and without any legal procedure.
Approximately 48 hours have passed since the arrest, and there is no official information about their whereabouts, according to the source.
So far, the PNR has not issued any report or explanation justifying the detention, which increases the concern of family and friends, who demand transparency, justice, and the immediate appearance of Roberto alive.
The source that reported the incident requested to remain anonymous due to the fear of potential reprisals, Mayeta emphasized.
At the end of November, several citizens in Santiago de Cuba were detained, accused by the regime of having painted anti-government graffiti in the city.
Cuban legislation considers graffiti or political messages against the government as "enemy propaganda" or "disrespect to the authorities", offenses that can carry sentences of up to eight years in prison.
Furthermore, the Cuban authorities prevented the lawyer of political prisoner William Sosa, a resident of Las Tunas province, from accessing key documents in his case by suddenly classifying them as “secret” and “sensitive material”, a legal maneuver that left the accused without defense at the most critical moment of the process.
Sosa was arrested by State Security on charges of "disobedience", a provision of the Cuban Penal Code that, according to organizations and activists, is often used to punish citizens who express critical opinions about the reality of the country.
In November, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) declared that 49 protesters from July 11, 2021 (11J) in Cuba were detained “arbitrarily for political and ideological reasons and without due process or defense.”
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