The young Cuban Yurisnel Domenech Atencio, a resident of the Media Luna municipality in Granma province, was threatened by State Security agents after reporting on social media the critical situation faced by several pregnant women in the local hospital.
According to her complaint, she was summoned and interrogated by a man who never identified himself and was dressed in plain clothes, and who also showed no interest in the details of her complaint regarding the situation of women in the hospital.
He was accused of "inciting violence," despite the fact that no such call was made in his video, according to a testimony sent to CiberCuba.
He emphasized that it is considered "a civic axis that I have the right to think and express myself freely," highlighted Domenech Atencio in the video.
"I want to clarify that I do not belong to any party or political group, and no one pays me; everything I do is purely out of conviction because I believe that when I raise my voice to defend something I believe is right or against something that is wrong, I do not think I am committing any crime," he added.
He lamented, on the contrary, that "that's not how they see it, as if I am reporting something concrete. Instead, they were threatening me all the time, they issued me a warning notice (...) and this official was never interested in clarifying my complaint (about the pregnant women); he only limited himself to threatening me."
A few days ago, Domenech posted a video on Facebook where he recounted that his wife and 14 other pregnant women had been waiting for over two weeks to undergo diagnostic tests—such as ultrasounds and echographies—due to a lack of fuel to power the health center's electric plant.
According to the young man, while pregnant women continued to receive no medical attention, fuel suddenly became available to transport a fleet of trucks loaded with people to a political event in the town of Cinco Palmas, also in Granma.
A few hours after the complaint, agents from the Revolutionary National Police (PNR) and the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) summoned Domenech for questioning and to threaten him.
Residents of Media Luna expressed concern for their safety and that of their families, given the history of reprisals from the Cuban State against citizens who publicly denounce abuses or negligence in state institutions, states the message received by our newsroom.
Human rights organizations have repeatedly denounced the harassment of Cubans who highlight the inefficiency of public services or governmental corruption.
Cases like that of Yurisnel Domenech reveal the regime's fear that local complaints will go viral and expose the deterioration of the healthcare system in the country.
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