
The Cuban activist Yankiel Fernández reported having been attacked with a stone while walking at night along a busy avenue in Havana accompanied by his 11-year-old nephew, an incident that caused him injuries to one hand and damage to the vehicle they were using.
He also founded the Aliento de Vida project, reported this Sunday on Facebook that the attack occurred on Friday at around 10:10 PM on Avenida 51, near the Military Technical Institute (ITM).
"Dios did it again, He freed us from the enemy's grasp and diverted that big rock that was thrown at my head", Fernández began recounting, who stated that he initially considered keeping silent about what happened.
According to their testimony, two individuals threw a stone at them while they were traveling through that area of the capital.
Fernández said he couldn't gauge the size of the object, but the impact shattered the switch, the brake, the mirror, and other parts of the vehicle.
The blow also struck his left hand. "I haven't been able to sleep for two nights due to the immense pain," he stated.
The activist emphasized that the attackers continued to throw stones despite the presence of the minor in the vehicle.
Fernández linked what happened to the darkness of the streets, the degradation of urban conditions, and an increasing sense of insecurity that, in his view, has spread throughout the country.
"Today I am writing these lines because for me, Cuba has also become an unsafe place," he stated.
He also questioned the authorities' ability to control crime and stated that "citizens are no longer safe."
The activist was even more critical when he noted that he could have lost his life from the impact: "History was not going to absolve me; I would just have been another number in the index of deaths from assaults."
The complaint generated numerous reactions from people expressing concern about insecurity.
Horrible what is happening in Cuba. They don't confront the police, they attack their peers, and nothing happens," commented a user.
Another person stated, "We are unprotected, you can't even go out on the street," while a third comment asserted that "the streets are no longer safe" and advised to avoid traveling at night.
One testimony particularly caught attention because it claimed that this type of attack would not be isolated in the capital.
"Here in Vento, starting at night, there are gangs that throw stones at everyone who passes by. And there isn't a police patrol to stop and pursue those criminals," wrote one person.
Attacks with stones against people and vehicles have already led to reports in other parts of the country.
At the end of 2025, drivers reported stone-throwing attacks against vehicles on a road in Camagüey, where even a bus with passengers was hit while traveling through the Curva de Ignacio.
The episode also takes place against a backdrop of increasing concern about violence and crime.
In June, a report warned about the expansion of youth gangs in numerous neighborhoods of Havana and other areas of the country, a phenomenon linked to the economic crisis, poverty, and the spread of synthetic drugs.
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