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Residents of Havana reported this Wednesday the emergence of several posters and graffiti in the Cerro municipality, demanding the release of ten Panamanian citizens recently detained in Cuba.
The testimony of a person and the photo were sent to the editorial office of CiberCuba. It is reported that the messages appeared in the morning in the area of Domínguez and Vista Hermosa, in El Cerro.
In the photo, a red spray-paint message is visible on a wall: "Freedom for the 10 Panamanians in Cuba", alongside initials that refer to the opposition organization Unión Patriótica de Cuba (UNPACU).
The report indicates that several similar posters appeared in different areas of the neighborhood. After they were put up, residents claim that the area was filled with State Security agents and police, some of whom were armed.
"They put up several signs in this area of Cerro and it became heavily secured," reported a source who requested to remain anonymous.
According to testimonies received by the editorial team, the messages may have been placed by a group linked to UNPACU, an opposition organization that has carried out protest actions against the regime in various provinces of the country.
Hours after the appearance of the posters, a general protest with pots and pans took place in the Diez de Octubre municipality, in the La Víbora area, according to reports from residents of that area.
On Tuesday night, protests using pots and pans were reported against power outages in various neighborhoods of Havana. Notably, reports came in from Palatino, in the Cerro municipality, and El Vedado, in Plaza de La Revolución.
Detention of Panamanian citizens in Cuba
The protest takes place amid the controversy surrounding the detention in Havana of ten Panamanian citizens, accused by Cuban authorities of alleged propaganda against the constitutional order.
The Government of Panama confirmed this week the arrest and formally requested from the Cuban authorities procedural guarantees, permanent consular access, and respect for due process for its citizens.
In an official statement, the Panamanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the country's embassy in Cuba received confirmation of the arrest and that diplomatic efforts have been made to understand the legal situation of the group.
The detainees are believed to have entered the country with the aim of putting up posters deemed subversive. The case is in the initial stage of investigation and will be forwarded to prosecutorial authorities in Cuba. Meanwhile, protest actions and messages in various neighborhoods of Havana reflect the growing discontent and solidarity with the detainees.
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