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The legal advice organization Cubalex reported that at least 14 people have been detained in Cuba in connection with protests and noise demonstrations that have taken place since March 6 in various locations across the country, amidst public discontent over the prolonged blackouts.
According to Cubalex, residents in several areas have taken to the streets at night to demand the restoration of electricity service and to denounce the deterioration of living conditions.
"Since March 6, there have been nighttime protests and pot-banging in various localities across the country due to prolonged power outages. Neighbors have taken to the streets to demand the restoration of electric service and to denounce the decline in living conditions," stated Cubalex in an alert circulated on social media.
According to the organization's monitoring, although several of these protests have not reported any arrests, at least 14 arrests related to these demonstrations have been confirmed—based on information published on social media and independent media. An unspecified number of detentions have also been reported in the municipality of Güisa, in the province of Granma, following a fire at a state facility.
The record compiled by Cubalex includes detentions that occurred in various provinces of the country.
According to that monitoring, on March 6, the arrest of one person was reported in Centro Habana. The following day, on March 7, Marianela Peña Cobas was arrested in the Cayo Hueso neighborhood, also in Havana, and she was subsequently released.
On March 9, several arrests were made in Güisa (Granma) following the fire at a state-run restaurant known as El Mirador.
On March 10, according to monitoring by Cubalex, two individuals were arrested in the Lawton neighborhood of Havana and taken to Villa Marista. On the same day, independent journalist Yunia Figueredo was arrested after participating in a noise protest in Jaimanitas, Playa municipality, and was subsequently released.
During that day, according to Cubalex's records, three arrests were also reported in the Havana municipality of Marianao.
On March 11, three arrests were reported in the town of Miraflores, in the municipality of Bolivia, province of Ciego de Ávila. On the same day, visual artist Dayán Melián Castro was arrested for participating in a demonstration in Mantilla, Havana, and has since been held at the police unit in Capri, in Arroyo Naranjo, according to information gathered by Cubalex.
A day later, on March 12, the mother and sister of political prisoner Alexander Verdecia Rodríguez were arrested in Bayamo (Granma) after taking to the streets to demand his release.
Cubalex noted that, of the 14 identified detainees so far, at least two have already been released, while in the other cases there is no confirmed information about their current situation.
In recent days, protests and pan demonstrations have been reported in several neighborhoods of Havana and other areas of the country, driven by prolonged power outages and the daily challenges associated with the energy crisis.
During these demonstrations, arrests have been reported in various parts of the capital, such as in the Lawton neighborhood, where residents reported that at least one person was arrested during a nighttime protest.
In the Marianao municipality, residents of the El Lido neighborhood held a pot-banging protest to demand the restoration of electricity service, and following the demonstration, police officers took at least three people into custody.
It was also reported that the independent journalist Yunia Figueredo was arrested in Jaimanitas after participating in a protest against blackouts.
In that same context, the visual artist Dayán Melián Castro was arrested during a day of protests in Havana.
Cubalex stated that these detentions occur "in a context of protests driven by prolonged blackouts and the deterioration of living conditions, while the Cuban state continues to respond with repression and the criminalization of protest."
The organization indicated that it will continue to monitor the situation and document potential human rights violations associated with these events.
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