The Cuban government apparently continues to take action against demonstrators. According to reports, the courts will now close for a week, so there is no progress in pending proceedings. Meanwhile, the US has announced aid for the Cubans.
The phone and the Internet are more likely than ever to work. There is a lack of food and medicine. Now the Cuban government is apparently also closing the courts for a week. Consequence: The few representatives who exist for the countless arrested demonstrators anyway do not get to see any judges and cannot make any applications. The Cuban Human Rights Observatory (OCDH), based in Spain, therefore complains that the victims are denied legal assistance. Protesters were arrested with arbitrariness and violence, those who are released will be forced to stay at home, according to the OCDH.
Man shot in front of his family
A video that can be seen on anti-government sites shows security forces in the town of Cárdenas trying to break into an apartment through the front entrance while inside a woman with a small child in her arms says “my children!” and “why are you doing this?” cries. Then an officer comes into the apartment from the other direction with a raised pistol. A part of the video apparently recorded later shows a pool of blood on the floor. The online portal “CiberCuba” reported that the woman’s husband was shot, beaten and taken away in front of his family.
Almost a week ago, for the first time in decades, Cubans took to the streets en masse to protest against the living conditions, against oppression and the economy of shortages on the Caribbean island. Such protests had not taken place there for decades. Cuba’s economy is suffering heavily from the slump in tourism in the pandemic as well as from US sanctions. In addition, the corona numbers have recently increased significantly.
Although internet access had mostly been blocked since Sunday, numerous videos of protests and violence by the security forces were gradually spread on social media. The authoritarian government said it was a violent unrest instigated by the United States. President Miguel Díaz-Canel called for people to defend the Cuban Revolution in the streets. Díaz-Canel has headed the Cuban Council of State and Ministers since 2018, has been head of state since October 2019 and head of the Communist Party since April. In the country’s power structure, he is the direct successor of the Castro brothers Fidel and Raul.
5,000 Cubans arrested
There was no official information on the number of arrests. Lists that were kept on the Internet of people whose whereabouts were unknown contained more than 300 names. The government-critical news portal 14ymedio, citing reports from the population, reported that more than 5,000 people had been arrested – including numerous activists and journalists. The government has reported one death so far, with a few more suspected.
“Protests have flared up in Cuba over the years, but Sunday’s outbreak was exceptional. Videos of the protests showed hundreds of people using smartphones to record the demonstrations. This was the most digital revolt in Cuba to date – until the regime cut ties It responded by showing its true character – a dictatorship – and its determination to remain one, “wrote the Washington Post about the demonstrations.
Cuban entertainer and choreographer Jorge González is very concerned and angry about the violence against the mass protests. “This escalation scares me. I am angry because of the reprisals and worried about the people. I never thought that something like this could happen in my country,” said the Hamburg-based DPA news agency. The protests against the government come not just from a few people, but from the general public. “After many decades of lack and grievance, the Cubans have now reached a limit,” said the 53-year-old.
In addition to the tough approach, the government in Havana has also made initial concessions to the demonstrators. In the future, travelers will be allowed to import food, medicines and hygiene articles duty-free, as Prime Minister Manuel Marrero announced on TV. The previously applicable quantity restrictions are therefore also no longer applicable. One of the demands of the protest movement is the easier importation of everyday necessities. The problem, however, is that it is currently not that easy to get to the island. From the USA, where about two million Cubans in exile live, it is almost impossible because any form of tourist travel to the Caribbean island is prohibited.
Joe Biden sticks to Trump’s Cuba course
Relations between Cuba and the US have been at a low point since the tenure of former US President Donald Trump. Trump had tightened the embargo against Cuba that had existed since 1962. His successor Joe Biden has so far not changed anything in the course of his predecessor. In the end, however, he promised the Cubans help. Access to the Internet in Cuba had been blocked, said Biden after a conversation with Chancellor Angela Merkel in the White House in Washington. “We are considering whether we are technically able to restore this access.”
With a view to the corona pandemic, they are ready to send significant quantities of vaccines to Cuba, Biden continued. However, it must then also be ensured that the people in Cuba actually get access to these vaccines. Cuba is a “failed state” that oppresses its citizens.
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
