MIAMI, United States. – The working group on politically motivated arrests Justice 11J confirmed this Tuesday that, in Cuba, at least 70 public demonstrations have occurred in Cuba since the total collapse of the National Electric System (SEN) on October 18.
According to the NGO, after the passage of Hurricane Rafael on November 6, the situation worsened even more: “After the passage of Hurricane Rafael, there have been 14 of these protests and at least 17 arbitrary arrests.”
The demonstrations have taken place in various provinces of the country: Justicia 11J has registered protests in Artemisa, Ciego de Ávila, Camagüey, Granma, Guantánamo, Holguín, Havana, Mayabeque, Sancti Spíritus, Santiago de Cuba and Villa Clara.
“We had verified at least 70 public demonstrations since the national electrical system almost completely collapsed,” the organization reported.
Last Sunday Justice 11J also denounced the arrests in several provinces of Cuba related to expressions of social discontent due to the worsening of living conditions and the management of the authorities in the face of the current crisis.
“At Justicia 11J we are deeply concerned about all the detained people about whom we have no information, whose cases we will not be able to make visible to promote their immediate release,” the organization said in a post from Facebook.
The Attorney General’s Office of the Republic of Cuba reported last Saturday that he was processing criminal proceedings for crimes of “attack”, “public disorder” and “damage” in Havana, Mayabeque and Ciego de Ávila, and that a precautionary measure of provisional detention had been imposed on the accused.
On that occasion, the entity expressed concern that the Prosecutor’s Office did not mention the people detained in the province of Villa Clara. He also warned about the course of the criminal proceedings initiated and recalled that “the sentences of people detained in previous protest scenarios since 2021, in some cases have been extended to more than 20 years of deprivation of liberty.”
“Once again, we reject the arrests against citizens who defend in the streets their legitimate right to a dignified life, since their well-being is a priority of the State and the government bodies and their officials,” the organization stated.
Justicia 11J concluded by indicating that it will continue to follow up on the aforementioned criminal proceedings and official information in this regard. “We remember that our data is constantly updated, and that we need the help of various actors in the search and verification of data, in order to continue our work,” he concluded.
