Dozens of residents from El Cobre, in Santiago de Cuba, took to the streets this Saturday to demand the release of Yoel Alejandro Pérez Serrano, a young activist who was arrested at dawn by special troops from State Security in an operation that included the confiscation of food, phones, and other belongings from his home in the community of Guamuta.
The images and videos circulated by independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada show protesters chanting "Freedom for Yoel!" in the streets of the municipality, home to the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre, patroness of Cuba.
According to a report by the opposition member José Daniel Ferrer García, founder of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), the agents arrived around six in the morning armed with long guns.
"They stormed in with black berets and armed to the teeth... they cordoned off the neighborhood, allowing no one to enter or leave, searched the house thoroughly, took the phones, took the food they found, took the pots, jewelry, they took everything they came across," Ferrer denounced in a live broadcast from abroad.
The authorities also blocked access to Guamuta to prevent residents from getting close to express solidarity with the detainee. According to Ferrer, the officers told those trying to pass that "the passage of worms was prohibited."
The whereabouts of Pérez Serrano and the formal charges against him were not publicly disclosed by the Cuban authorities.
Pérez Serrano was a well-known figure in Guamuta for promoting the humanitarian project “Save Cuba”, which ensured at least one meal a day, from Monday to Friday, for the elderly, malnourished children, the sick, and vulnerable families, with the support of UNPACU and the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance. He also advocated for the construction of a community medical clinic and a dining hall, which earned him the nickname “the mayor of Guamuta.”
Ferrer emphasized that the activist dedicated between 12 and 14 hours a day to his work: "The tyranny uses its military forces to repress a peaceful man, a noble, generous, very humane man, who is sacrificing himself to help the people."
Journalist José Raúl Gallego revealed that a week before the arrest, Pérez Serrano had sent him videos of his activities, asking him to publish them "if something happened to him," suggesting that the young man anticipated reprisals.
The activist's background with the regime is extensive. In November 2025, he publicly confronted Miguel Díaz-Canel during an official visit to El Cobre after Hurricane Melissa, calling attention to the abandonment of those affected with the phrase "no one has gone to Guamuta."
In July 2026, he staged a public protest barefoot and in his underwear with a white sheet on which the words "Freedom," "Democracy," "Justice," and "Dignity" were written. Shortly afterward, he was summoned by the authorities, which opponents interpreted as retaliation.
The arrest occurs in a context of increasing pressure on the community. The day before, mothers from Guamuta reported threats of fines for not sending their hungry children to school, and on Friday, Karel Daniel Hernández Bosques from Fuera de la Caja Cuba was also arrested, allegedly for posting critical videos online.
Mayeta Labrada demanded answers regarding the lack of official information: "We demand clarification on where Yoel is, under what conditions he is held, and what justifies his detention. Organizing independently and helping those in need is not a crime."
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