"‘They didn’t know the law’: Citizen denounces arbitrary actions of police in El Vedado"

A Cuban citizen publicly reported on social media what he describes as a new case of abuse of authority in Havana, after being fined by agents of the National Revolutionary Police (PNR) under circumstances he deems arbitrary and lacking legal grounds.

The incident occurred in Vedado, near 23rd and L, when he was parked helping a driver who was having problems with his motorcycle. At that moment, a patrol stopped, and the officers proceeded to request his documents, then imposed a fine without clearly explaining the reason or the legal article that justified it.

"They did not know the law," stated the complainant, who questioned the lack of training of the acting officers. According to his account, the patrol leader — whom he describes as a young man lacking ethics and education — was unable to justify the penalty imposed, despite his attempts to engage in respectful dialogue and explain the situation.

The complaint not only highlights the specific actions of the agents but also points to a deeper issue: the perception of arbitrariness in the enforcement of regulations. The citizen compared this incident to other visible situations in the same area, such as the presence of young people under the influence of drugs, which, according to him, do not receive the same attention from the police.

"Is this the police that the Ministry of the Interior deserves?" he questioned, while recalling the official discourse that presents the institution as the guarantor of order and legality in the country.

The testimony also reveals a sense of helplessness that is increasingly common among Cubans, especially within a context where administrative sanctions and fines have become a heavy burden to bear.

Recent cases reinforce this perception. Just this Thursday, another complaint circulated on social media after it was revealed that an inspector in Centro Habana imposed two fines in one day on a person for selling pozuelos, totaling 46,000 pesos. The penalty, equivalent to more than six average salaries in Cuba, sparked an intense debate about the legal limits and the fairness of these measures.

Both episodes, while different, point to a common concern: the lack of coherence and transparency in the application of the law. While some citizens are harshly punished for subsistence activities or minor situations, the perception grows that other, more serious behaviors go unaddressed.

In a country where salaries barely cover basic needs, a fine—whether traffic or administrative—can become a devastating blow. However, beyond the economic impact, what many question is the feeling that the rules are unclear and not applied fairly.