Madrid Spain.- The Justice 11J working group has recorded the arrest of 57 people as a result of the popular protests that have been taking place in Cuba since last June due to the prolonged blackouts. Of the 57, 33 still remain in prison.
Justice 11J clarify that although these are the cases that it has been able to verify, the real figure could be much higher, taking into account the reports that come from different parts of the country.
“They have told us of dozens of arrests in Pinar del Río and Holguín, and more than 200 in Cienfuegos. We clarify that this is unverified information, but we feel responsible for alerting about a possible and marked mass in the arrests and we ask for urgent help to corroborate this information, as well as to access the names and faces of the people who have been or are still in detention”, states the organization in its most recent report.
As for the protests unleashed as a sign of popular discontent over the prolonged interruption of electricity service, Justice 11J has registered a total of 59 from June 14 to date.
The working group denounces that despite the fact that the demonstrations have been mostly peaceful, there is an escalation of violence by the regime.
In this regard, it specifies that it has visual documentation on the arrest of a protester in the Holguin neighborhood Alcides Pine by at least four State agents. While In La Esperanza, Cienfuegos, users reported that protesters were beaten and that a pregnant woman was detained.
“While in Cuba the population is dismayed by the negligent use of young people who were fulfilling the Compulsory Military Service to contain the fire in Matanzas, we see complaints again that alert about the sending of young people to repress protests,” the report highlights.
Justice 11J once again denounced the violation of the right to peaceful demonstration, as well as the Government’s terrible management of the Island’s resources; one of the motivations for these protests.
The organization released the names of some of the people arrested and accused of the alleged crimes of public disorder and contempt. Among them Orlenis Paumier Blancar (bail of 5 thousand pesos), Irioldis Barrabia Cobas (bail of 5 thousand pesos), Norges Paumier Paumier (bail of 5 thousand pesos) and Hilder Columbié Hernández (obligation contracted in the minutes).
This data was obtained by relatives of people in detention, people released from prison, and different actors from civil society.
“We remember that the non-existence of the public registry of people in detention status places them in a more marked situation of vulnerability, since it is less likely that the detention will become news, and with it, the mobilization of efforts to obtain releases or changes of precautionary measures”, indicated Justice 11J.
It also reiterated its support for the direct and indirect victims of State repression, and its commitment to denouncing these violations of fundamental rights and freedoms.
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