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The mother of the activist Leonardo Romero Negrín reported this Sunday that the police harassment against her son did not stop following his release on Friday, according to Martí Noticias. The young dissident was released with a fine of 2,000 Cuban pesos after spending two days in detention for participating in a pot-banging protest in the Colón neighborhood of Centro Habana.
Romero Negrín was arrested on the night of Wednesday, July 1, at the corner of Ánimas and Consulado, while neighbors were protesting against the prolonged blackouts and water shortages. The authorities took him to the police station on Zanja Street and opened a criminal file against him for the alleged crime of "public disorder."
His mother, Aixa Negrín, told Martí Noticias about the difficulties the family faced during the detention: "Leonardo's release was challenging because each time we went to the unit, they never allowed us to see him, they didn't let us bring him anything, and then when we went on Friday morning to inquire about him, they told us to wait, and by ten o'clock, they informed us that he would be released with a fine of 2000 pesos. We had to go pay the fine, return with the receipt, and that's how he was released."
But the nightmare did not end with the release. Upon returning home with a group of people, as they passed by the police sector on Águila Street, between San Rafael and San Miguel, the same officer who had detained him and allegedly physically assaulted him reacted violently.
“She shouted insults, cursed at him, forced him to enter the area, and threatened him,” described Aixa Negrín, who reported on her son’s constant vulnerability in the face of repressive forces.
The activist himself tried to identify the officer: "Leo told him I'm not going to argue with you, all I want is to see your badge number. He remained silent, and the chief said take it out, leave that. Look how the harassment continues, it's not enough for them," his mother recounted.
The arrest and subsequent harassment occur against the backdrop of an unprecedented energy crisis in Cuba, with an electrical deficit reaching a record of 2,211 MW on July 3, leaving approximately 69% of the country without electricity and sparking protests in multiple municipalities in Havana and Santiago de Cuba.
The case generated a widespread wave of solidarity. The filmmaker Fernando Pérez recorded a message of support during a blackout and warned: "As long as many young people are not heard, cannot participate, we will have a broken Cuba, not the Cuba we dream of."
The organization Cubalex stated that the case "confirms a pattern of persecution against political prisoners in Cuba," who are subjected to surveillance, threats, arbitrary detentions, and legal proceedings based on false accusations.
Romero Negrín has a long history of repression: he was arrested in April 2021 for carrying a sign on Calle Obispo, detained during the protests on July 11 of the same year — during which he spent six days in custody and reported beatings — and was arrested again in March 2025 and in February 2026 together with Professor Alina Bárbara López Hernández in Matanzas.
Following the announcement of the release, journalist Lisbeth Moya González warned that the struggle is not over: "We got Leo out, but many remain inside. For those who are imprisoned for protesting, for fighting, for raising their voices, for dreaming of a Cuba where we all belong, we must continue."
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