Havana/The Municipal Court of Bayamo, in Granma, judges from Tuesday 15 of the 16 arrested for the protests that occurred in that eastern city March 17, 2024. As reported by a brief published note In the official pressthey are charged with the crimes of “public disorders”, “attack”, “resistance”, “contempt”, “illegal carrying of arms”, “disobedience” and “crime instigation.”
A total of 13 of them are in provisional prison, and the remaining three, “with non -detentive measures of obligation contracted in the act and prohibition of departure from the country.” Although Granma It does not explain the reasons, it reports that the view is “partially”, against 15 of the 16 defendants. Nor does it indicate the request for sanction of the Prosecutor’s Office.
As usual in this type of notes, the ruling clarifies that the constitution and current criminal laws guarantee that “in the processing of the process the procedural guarantees and the right to defense of the accused” are fulfilled, although there are numerous organizations inside and outside Cuba that have systematically denounced the irregularities in the trials to protesters, such as those of July 11, 2021.
The Bayamo protest last year was not the only one that was that March 17, and they resembled those of 11j
Last year’s Bayamo protest was not the only one that there was that March 17 – demonstrations were also in Santiago de Cuba and Holguín – and they resembled those of the 11J not only in which they happened on a Sunday: they began the shouts of “we want current” and “we have hunger” and ended up chanting “homeland and life” and “freedom.”
In the images disseminated in social networks, in addition, the participation of hundreds of people.
That day, in an unusual gesture, Cubadebate He offered explanations of what was happening in Santiago de Cuba in a Post Facebook. “Product a [sic] The long hours of electric cuts due to the unavailability of fuel and other situations derived from the current economic crisis, several people took to the streets and a popular demonstration occurred, ”admitted the official digitalist.
According to the same publication, “the people who manifested asked for current and food” and, granted, “were also heard isolated shouts and life from small groups within the popular mass,” although he immediately nuanced that “they were not followed by the majority.”
Cubadebate He also recognized the presence of security forces, but, he said, “no police have intervened, as can be seen in the images. They are only guarding the demonstration and dialogue directly with citizens, in the exercise of duty, but allowing the demonstration to occur with total freedom.” Similarly, he reported the presence in the place of Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, governor of the province, and other officials “to dialogue with the population and give attention to the claim.”
Just Tuesday, 2,000 megawatts (MW) of affectation in the country, specifically 2,052 MW
At that time, there were only police repression reports in Bayamo. A Protection video In that city he recorded, on the night of that Sunday, a group of citizens struggling with several police officers while others ran to avoid blows. Other audiovisual, shared by Cuba timeshowed, at earlier hours, a protest with hundreds of people chanting “homeland and life.” That independent medium assured that the entire city was militarized. Also, in a third video they saw each other Several patrols blocking a street to prevent the protesters from following the march.
The president Miguel Díaz-Canelthe next day, it made it clear that the regime’s position would be the same as on other occasions. In one Sequence of messages in the social network X commented on the demonstrations saying that they had “destabilizing ends” and had been carried out by “terrorists based in the US.”
Unlike the official reaction after the 11J protests, the Cuban authorities maintained a cautious tone in their statements and, in fact, in all this year and a half, nothing had been known about those detained so far. But now it is not any time.
Just on Tuesday, 2,000 megawatts (MW) of affectation in the country were exceeded again, specifically 2,052 MW –The previous record, of 2,054 MW, It took last July 21-, and for this Wednesday, the Electric Union of Cuba re-forecast a high deficit for peak afternoon schedule. At that time, the demand will be 3,500 MW and the availability of only 1,580 MW, so there will be a lack of 1.920 MW and a real involvement of 1,990 MW, that is, there will not be 57% of the necessary energy.
For Cubans, the numbers translate into stress, lack of sleep and despair. The judgments are a warning for navigators of what can happen if they are massively thrown into the street for that reason.
