On the eve of July 26, the date of celebration of the Cuban regime, and with an atmosphere full of protests due to the long blackouts in the country, the streets of Havana woke up this Monday guarded by the Special National Brigade of the Ministry of the Interior known as the black berets.
The inhabitants of the capital have noticed an unusual operation by this repressive force, mainly in highly populated municipalities such as Centro Habana and Old Havana, when the country lives three holidays from today until the 27th due to the celebrations of the National Rebellion Day (July 26 ) on the 69th anniversary of the assault on the Moncada barracks in Santiago de Cuba.
Among the most guarded areas are the surroundings of the Ministry of Energy and Mines, in Carlos III, between Oquendo and Soledad. It is a strategic installation in these times of blackouts throughout the country, programmed by the Electric Union, which depends on this ministry. One of the offices of this state company in the province of Mayabeque was partially set on fire by protesters, who filmed the event late at night.
In another corner of Carlos III, between Soledad and Castillejo, very close to the ministry itself, a truck from the Special Brigade was guarded by several agents. The vehicle, with the number 1532, is used to transport the military, as was recorded during the days after the protests in July last year when the regime deployed its repressive arsenal and carried out caravans in various cities.
In this area there is also Plaza Carlos III, one of the largest shopping centers in Havana, popularly known as “the palace of consumption.” For several years it has been the commercial lung of Centro Habana, especially in the neighborhoods of Pueblo Nuevo, Cayo Hueso and Los Sitios. Both in this establishment and in other state centers you can also see the operative police guards, other special forces and State Security officers dressed in civilian clothes.
But the ones that attract the most attention in the last few hours are the black berets, who with their black uniforms and their inquisitive looks, observe the atmosphere in central areas of the capital and even walk with dogs guarding squares and busy streets such as the Parque de la Fraternidad. Some residents refer to this newspaper that, when they approach this brigade, they prefer not to be using their cell phones because even that action provokes suspicion among the military.
For their responsibility in the violence unleashed by the regime during the arrest and imprisonment of the demonstrators, on 11J and following days, the black berets along with the Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba, Álvaro López-Miera, for being responsible for “serious human rights abuses.”
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