The MININT comes out to deny rumors of a curfew in Cuba

The Cuban Ministry of the Interior (MININT) published an official denial this Tuesday on its Facebook account “Minint Today” to deny the existence of a supposed national curfew that was circulating virally on social media and was allegedly set to come into effect next Monday, June 1st.

The rumor was circulated as an "Official Note No. 28/2026" attributed to MININT itself, dated June 1, 2026, announcing the implementation of a "Temporary National Curfew" with nighttime restrictions, fines of up to 8,000 Cuban pesos (CUP) for non-compliance, and a supposed extension of the measures until August 2026.

The official denial was definitive: "The Ministry of the Interior (MININT) has NOT issued any Official Note No. 28/2026 regarding National Curfew."

The publication listed point by point what it called falsehoods: "There is no curfew. There are no fines of up to 8,000 CUP. There are no nighttime restrictions. There is no extension until August."

The MININT also explained how to detect deceit: the document "does not appear on any official channels of the Cuban government," "mixes institutions and formats in an invented manner," and "uses dates and measurements that do NOT exist in the reality of the country."

The fake document cited "the serious energy situation the country is facing" and "the increase in criminal activities during nighttime" as justification for the supposed restrictions—two real problems that lent some credibility to the hoax among the Cuban population.

The energy crisis on the island remains devastating: the electricity generation deficit exceeds 2,200 MW and blackouts affect 70% of the population, according to reports published on May 17. In Las Tunas, for example, there have been 11 thefts of dielectric oil and transformer parts so far in 2026, leaving more than 4,000 residents without electricity for four days.

This case falls within a documented pattern of disinformation in Cuba during 2025 and 2026. On May 21, a false claim regarding the supposed death of Raúl Castro was debunked, which fraudulently used the visual identity of independent media. On May 5, the Russian Embassy in Cuba had to refute viral images of a supposed Russian nuclear submarine in Havana. And in January 2025, a false document regarding alleged Trump sanctions against Cuba circulated.

The MININT concluded its publication with a call to the public: “Don’t be fooled. Don’t help spread panic. Share this denial if you care about the truth,” and recommended verifying information only through the official profiles of the Presidency, the MININT, and state media.