MIAMI, United States. – Cuban dissident activists Manuel Cuesta Morúa, María Mercedes Benítez and Juan Antonio Madrazo were arrested this Monday while trying to present Shanti, a global strategy to confront different forms of violence in Cuba, reported the news agency EFE.
Cuesta Morúa, who is the spokesperson for the Arco Progresista organization, informed EFE that he was temporarily arrested when he was going to the place of the press conference to present Shanti. He then was taken back to his house, where the police allegedly set up a perimeter to prevent him from leaving.
Speaking to CubaNetthe opponent He specified that, until now, Benítez, coordinator of Citizen Observers of Electoral Processes (COPE) and Madrazo, leader of the Citizen Committee for Racial Integration (CIR), are unaccounted for. Both activists were detained at the house of the latter, the headquarters of the CIR.
The objective of the press conference was to present the Shanti security strategy, which is supported by various dissident platforms, including D’Frente, the Council for the Democratic Transition in Cuba (CTDC), and the Democratic Action Unity Table.
The press release published by the detained activists indicates that “Cuba is entering a vacuum of violence that is harming individuals, families, communities, groups and sectors of civil society.” It also ensures that the acts of violence are being hidden by the media and minimized by the rhetoric of the authorities.
The various forms of violence denounced in the document include femicides which, according to the underreporting of various feminist platforms, there are 34 only so far this year. He also mentions the murders, robberies and assaults in broad daylight, as well as the institutional violence normalized by the political system.
The statement highlights the role of the new Penal Code and the recently approved Social Communication Law as tools of institutional violence.
For its part, the Shanti strategy proposes a series of ambitious measures to deal with these forms of violence. These include amnesty and the decriminalization of dissent, initiatives against gender violence, the recovery of citizen sovereignty and the pacification of the streets.
In addition, it calls for addressing institutionalized economic inequalities, flagrant violations of the Constitution and laws, and establishing a culture of respect and tolerance. It also advocates for a language that does not encourage exclusion and hatred.
