Cuba lives a day of censorship with the impediment of protests by the island’s regime

For months, a protest against the Cuban regime has been scheduled for Monday, which for several weeks had also prohibited said demonstration, while opponents and activists denounced harassment.

The main organizer of the march, activist Yunior García, who had said that the objective was to protest against the repression and in favor of the release of political prisoners, could not leave his house on Monday, since it was under surveillance by agents. Also a day before, on Sunday, he could not make his announced solo march for the same reason.

The Cuban Observatory for Human Rights denounced a “repressive escalation” by the Government of Cuba to prevent protest marches in the country.

This non-governmental organization, based in Madrid, warned in a statement that the Office of Religious Affairs of the Cuban Communist Party participates in the “more than two hundred repressive acts” that it has counted since last Friday.

“Home detention, threats, internet cuts and acts of repudiation in front of activists’ houses” are some of these acts, the Observatory warned.

In accordance with El Nuevo Herald, In a newspaper in Miami, the epicenter city of Cuban exile, the regime took these actions for fear that images such as those of July 11, when thousands of Cubans came out to protest in many cities on the island, would travel the world again to ask for changes in the system, which has been led for decades by the Communist Party of Cuba, the country’s highest authority.

García, also an actor and playwright, has become the main voice of the protests, as part of the Archipiélago group, which brings together young artists, activists and intellectuals.

The authorities had denied him permission to organize the “march for change”.

The observatory has also mentioned that in the framework of actions against the protest, even priests have been threatened with arrest “by the Office of Religious Affairs of the Communist Party of Cuba,” according to Efe.

“The activist Saily González Velázquez was the subject of an embarrassing act of repudiation this morning (Monday) at her home in Santa Clara,” the observatory reported, adding that at least two people were arrested in a Havana park after shouting “Long live democracy” and his whereabouts are unknown. Meanwhile, the journalists Luz Escobar, from the Cuban digital newspaper 14yMedio, and Abraham Jiménez, columnist for the American newspaper The Washington Post, “are under house arrest,” he concluded.

In the capital, the whole day has lived in tension due to the police presence in some streets. Despite this, in some homes you could see white sheets spread out in response to the initiative of the opposition platform Archipiélago, which asked to hang them in support of the march to demand the release of political prisoners and a solution to the problems through democratic means. and peaceful.

In the official gazette Granma, organ of communication of the PPC, it was said that there was the conviction of “always defeating those who seek to roll back the revolutionary conquests and our socialism.” He also again blamed, as usual, the United States for being behind the protests.

This, while also announcing how President Miguel Díaz-Canel was going to a school to celebrate the return to face-to-face classes.

The head of US diplomacy, Antony Blinken, said that his country will remain vigilant over the actions taken by the island’s government, because people have the right to demonstrate “without fear of reprisals or violence.” He added that if there is repression, his country could think of more sanctions.

The journalist Yoani Sánchez, director of 14yMedio, indicated through her Twitter account that during the day the internet and the telephone had been cut off and her media had suffered from escraches.

“Around the newsroom of the newspaper @ 14ymedio There is an operation made up of “the factors” (retired ex-military and PCC militants, plus members of the CDRs). In addition, agents of the State Security in civilian clothes are seen at the exits of the building. #15NCuba #SOSCuba”Said Sánchez.

The UN spokesman, Farhan Haq, spoke about what happened this day: “I do not want to speculate about what could happen. What we want to ensure is that the right to peaceful protest is fully respected ”.

Even the Cuban singer-songwriter Pablo Milanés said, on his Facebook account, to despise the “mobs that they use to represent the best of the people” and dedicated his song Flowers of the future to Garcia and to all that he represents.

This Monday the world association of writers PEN International also denounced, coinciding with the Day of the Incarcerated Writer, the case of rapper Maykel Osorbo, imprisoned in a Cuban jail since last May for “peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression.” the organization said in a statement.

In that area, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, José Manuel Albares, asked this Monday that Cuba restore the credentials to the journalists of the agency Eph, those who took them away without any explanation last Saturday. By Sunday, two of the five people on the team had already been returned.

Osorbo is nominated for the Latin Grammy Awards along with the other artists of the song Homeland and life, the anthem of the protests that broke out in Cuba on July 11, a song that competes in two categories: best song and best urban song.

The protest in other countries

In accordance with El Nuevo Herald, Protests in support of the demonstrators in Cuba were planned in about 120 countries.

They would be held in emblematic city squares or in front of Cuban embassies and consulates.

A dozen protesters met this Monday in front of the Cuban Embassy in Lisbon in support of the protest that has been called in Havana against the arrests of people opposed to the regime, as well as the political and economic management of the Government, collects Eph.

Of those twelve people, ten were Cuban by birth and indicated that they expected more protesters to join when the majority of working hours ended.

In Madrid, during the night of this Monday (due to the time change) there were demonstrations against the Cuban regime in the emblematic Puerta del Sol.

Protests in Santiago de Chile were also reported on Monday in favor of activists in Cuba. (I)