Anna Bensi to the regime: "This will last until the people want it to."

Anna BensiPhoto © Facebook/Anna Bensi

The Cuban activist Anna Bensi delivered a defiant message to the regime on social media this Tuesday, firmly responding to the question that the people of Cuba are constantly asking.

"The people are asking: 'Until when?' Well… I’m pleased to tell you that it will be until the people want it," wrote the young woman, accompanying the tweet with the hashtags #SomosMás and #MerecemosMás.

The post was made just a few hours after the regime announced the fifth massive blackout of the year, leaving millions in the dark. 

This new total collapse of the Cuban electrical system is, moreover, the third of its kind in just eight days, highlighting the breakdown of this essential service in the nation. 

Moreover, the message arrives at a time of significant pressure on the activist: just 12 days after she was detained for almost 11 hours at the National Revolutionary Police station in Alamar—four times the legal limit of two hours—and eight days after the regime reopened the criminal case against her and her mother.

Bensi, whose real name is Anna Sofía Benítez Silvente, resides in the Alamar neighborhood of Havana and is a member of the youth collective "Fuera de la Caja Cuba."

During the arrest on July 2, agents threatened her with imprisonment for "incitement to public disorder" and demanded that she modify her videos. Upon being released that night, she broke down in tears before family members and activists who were waiting for her with applause.

The next day, the young woman clarified the meaning of her tears: "My crying was out of helplessness, out of anger for so many hours of injustice. It was not weakness; on the contrary, all these things have made my convictions stronger than ever."

The criminal case that she faces alongside her mother, Caridad Silvente Laffita, originated on March 10, 2026, when both recorded and disseminated a video of a MININT agent delivering an irregular summons at their home.

Both have been under house arrest since March, accused under Article 393 of the Cuban Penal Code for "acts against personal and family privacy," with a potential sentence of two to five years in prison and a prohibition on leaving the country.

Your case has received international attention: Amnesty International documented it in April 2026, Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart described her as a "heroine," and in May, the head of the US Embassy mission in Havana, Mike Hammer, conveyed greetings from Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a meeting with the group.

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CiberCuba Editorial Team

A team of journalists committed to reporting on Cuban current affairs and topics of global interest. At CiberCuba, we work to deliver truthful news and critical analysis.