MIAMI, United States. – The Embassy of the United States in Havana denounced this Saturday the repression of the regime against the demonstrators who staged the second night of protests in Nuevitas, Camagüey.
“The Government of Cuba responded to a second night of demonstrations in Nuevitas by detaining and assaulting peaceful demonstrators. This repression will not stop their legitimate protests against the repression and the continuous blackouts”, tweeted the diplomatic headquarters of the United States in Cuba.
On Friday night and early Saturday morning, residents of Nuevitas took to the streets for the second consecutive day to denounce the prolonged power cuts that reach up to 18 hours.
Less than 24 hours earlier, the residents of that city staged the largest popular protest against the Cuban authorities since July 11 and 12, 2021.
Unlike the first night of protests, when no incidents of police repression were reported, this Saturday the regime’s agents confronted the population.
Agents of the National Revolutionary Police (PNR) beat at least three girls, ages 11 and 12, who were trying to prevent the arrest of a demonstrator.
“They are children! They are girls!”, is heard shouting in a live broadcast of the profile “LaChamaca DeChamaco Yaestaostinada”, as the young woman who recorded live moments of the two nights of protests in Nuevitas identifies herself.
As can be seen in several videos broadcast at dawn on Saturday by that Facebook user, the policemen struggled with the girls until they released the man who accompanied them and whom they violently detained.
The girls themselves offered their testimony in another video Posted by the same Facebook user.
“The police to catch him prisoner [al manifestante que las acompañaba], they hit us, so that we could let him go. They were a stack and a fat one there, that was the one that got me hard, “said one of the two minors.
Both showed the marks of the blows received on the back, legs and feet.
Less than 24 hours before, on Thursday night and early Friday morning, dozens of residents of Nuevitas also they manifested to shouts of “Libertad” and with the conga of “Put the current pin…”.
“Let’s go to the Party. Hey for the Party” and “Put the current pin…Down with Díaz-Canel! Diaz-Canel singao! Down with the dictatorship!” are some of the phrases that the protesters were heard shouting as they walked through the dark streets playing pots.
During the demonstration the Cubans even sang the National anthem. “Nevitas got hot. It’s about time, this is too much. Older people and children can’t take this anymore,” commented user Alejandro Sariego.
According to several comments on social networks, the residents of Nuevitas have been suffering from long blackouts for three months. Last week, the Electric Company of that province announced power outages of up to 18 hours due to problems with the thermoelectric plants in Cuba.
In Camagüey “it is not possible to continue applying the rotation that until now was implemented and the time of affectation could be in the order of 18 hours,” the statement said.
Last July, the ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel told the National Assembly of People’s Power that he understood the popular discontent that was leading Cubans to protest throughout Cuba against the energy crisis, however, he assured that Cubans will not solve anything by demonstrating .
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