Four young people remain detained by State Security in Camagüey after residents of the Oriente Rebelde community, in the municipality of Sibanicú, took to the streets to demand drinking water and electricity in a pot-banging protest, as reported by resident Rogelio Rodríguez Mora on Facebook.
The protest took place on July 25th, the eve of National Rebellion Day, when dozens of residents expressed their frustration over the prolonged lack of basic services affecting the community. The following day, according to testimony shared by Rodríguez Mora, State Security agents arrived at the site, summoned several neighbors for interrogations, and arrested four young individuals.
"There are four people imprisoned in Camagüey, four young men from here in the Rebel East due to the pot-banging protest on the night of the 25th, for lacking everything, but mainly water and electricity," he reported in a video posted on social media.
Two of the detainees were identified as Luis Alberto La O Ramírez and Lisvany Aguilera La O. Rodríguez Mora stated that both are "hardworking young men" and explained that he would reveal the identities of the other two when he could confirm them. According to his report, the four remain held in the State Security unit in the city of Camagüey.
The activist also recounted that the mother of one of the detainees had to travel to the provincial capital to accompany another of her children, a minor, who had been summoned by the political police. She stated that she heard the authorities intended to refer the four young people to the Prosecutor's Office "for simply asking for water and electricity."
Rodríguez Mora also described the police presence that followed the protest. "The place was filled with cars and police trying to instill fear in people. They summoned a few individuals, and you know how they operate, intimidating everyone," he expressed.
A whistleblower who has already suffered repression
The complaint is particularly significant because Rodríguez Mora had already been targeted by state repression. In August 2025, as documented by the Cuban Institute for Freedom of Expression and the Press (ICLEP), he was detained for 12 days after participating in another protest over the lack of water in the same community.
During that arrest, he was subjected to repeated interrogations. According to documentation from ICLEP, one officer insulted him while another offered to arrange an eye surgery in exchange for becoming an informant for State Security. After being released, he was required to report weekly to a police station to sign in.
Protesting against the power outages continues to have consequences
The arrests in Sibanicú add to the wave of detentions recorded in Cuba during 2026 following protests related to blackouts, water shortages, and the worsening living conditions.
After the protest that took place in Luyanó on July 9, at least 24 people were detained. Days later, on July 17, Cubalex warned about the arrest of six people in Loma del Chivo, Guantánamo, following another spontaneous protest.
Independent organizations also reflect the increase in repression. The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH) documented 1,949 repressive actions during the first half of 2026, including 257 arbitrary detentions. Cubalex, for its part, recorded 38 detentions related to protests in June alone, including six minors, as well as counting 107 protests in the country during that month.
The backdrop to these protests is the profound energy crisis that Cuba is experiencing. The National Electric System (SEN) recorded a historic deficit of 2,341 MW on July 8, while this Monday the availability barely reached 1,000 MW compared to a demand of 3,100 MW. So far in 2026, the country has endured at least four total collapses of the SEN.
At the end of his statement, Rodríguez Mora asserted that the authorities' response demonstrates the regime's fear of the growing social discontent. "Once again, it is clear to me that they are terrified. There is a dictatorship in Cuba," he stated, before concluding his message with the slogan: "Freedom, Homeland, and Life."
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