Activists launched dozens of leaflets from the rooftop of the building Pico Cristal in the heart of Holguín this Friday, demanding the release of all Cuban political prisoners, as reported by activist Ariel Góngora on his Facebook profile with images of the action.
The action was attributed to the Holguín Free Commandos (CLH) in collaboration with the MADL. The flyers fell over Calixto García Park, the city's primary public space, from the building located at the corner of Libertad and Martí streets, ensuring maximum visibility in the historical center.
Góngora described the action as urgent and urged the sharing of images: "This morning, October 16, 2026, in the heart of the city of Holguín, at Calixto García Park, the CLH, in collaboration with the MADL, is distributing leaflets calling for freedom for all political prisoners."
It is not the first time that the CLH has been involved in such an action in the province. On September 22nd, anti-government graffiti appeared in Plaza de los Chinos and near the Vladimir Ilich Lenin University General Hospital, with slogans such as "Down with the PCC," "Freedom for the people," and "Canel is a murderer."
The authorities responded by covering the messages with Cuban flags and deploying agents from the Technical Investigations Department along with canine units.
The central demand of the leaflets —the freedom of political prisoners— reflects a situation that human rights organizations describe as critical. Prisoners Defenders reported that, of the 51 political prisoners whose release had been announced by the Cuban government, only 19 had actually been released as of October 14.
The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights, for its part, documented 344 repressive actions during September 2026, including 17 arbitrary detentions and 46 abuses against political prisoners, with cases also reported in Holguín. Between January and September of this year, the organization recorded 3,051 repressive actions across the island.
Holguín has a recent history of civic resistance. Last June, residents of Guatemala, Mayarí, marched to a police station chanting "Freedom!", "We can’t take it anymore!", "We want electricity!" and "We want water!". A year earlier, over twenty graffiti saying "Homeland and Life" and "Freedom for the people" covered the wall of Mayabe cemetery.
The distribution of pamphlets as a form of protest carries severe criminal risks in Cuba. The prosecution requested prison sentences of six and seven years for two Cubans who distributed political pamphlets in Cienfuegos in February 2025, accused of "propaganda against the constitutional order."
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