Cuban dissidents arrested before protest march | Globalism

According to his wife, Nairobi Sherry, Manuel Cuesta Moroa, 58, Vice President of the Democratic Transitional Council, “was arrested by State Security today around 1 p.m. (15:00 GMT) while leaving his home” in Havana.

Cuesta Moroa, who was briefly detained in September, said at the time, after his release, that he was threatened for calling for a protest on Monday.

The leader of the dissident Damas de Blanco movement, Berta Soler, and her ex-politician husband, Angel Moya, have also been arrested, opposition leader Martha Beatriz Roque announced on Twitter. The other defector, Guillermo Farinas, has been in custody since Friday.

Several opponents, demonstrators and independent journalists in recent days denounced on social media that they were prevented in their homes by agents of state security.

Many of them said they were victims of acts of untouchability, demonstrations by government supporters that have been used for years to reprimand opponents. They also told that their internet had been cut off.

Along the capital’s famous coastal promenade, groups of three police officers were stationed on almost every corner, especially in the city center, while plainclothes state security personnel were also stationed in squares and parks.

Despite the ban, the Archipelago political discussion group, with 37,000 members inside and outside Cuba, kept her call in Havana and six other provinces from 15:00 local time (5:00 pm Brasilia) to demand the release of political prisoners and respect for human rights and democracy.

The appeal comes four months after The historic and spontaneous demonstrations of July 11thThat left dead and dozens wounded and arrested 1,270 people, of whom 658 are still in prison, according to the human rights NGO Kobalex.

Demonstrators ask people to wear white clothes, and if they can’t go out to protest, they hang white sheets on their balconies.

Playwright Junior Garcia, 39, founder of the archipelago and leader of a new generation of Cuban dissidents spurred by the rise of social media, is still prevented by plainclothes clients from leaving his home on Monday and walking with a white rose in their hands, as he planned.

The government accused the opposition of sabotaging its efforts to celebrate the return to normal life after months of confinement due to the coronavirus pandemic.

On Sunday, President Miguel Diaz-Canel denounced his intention to “undermine internal order” and “launch media campaigns against Cuba,” vowing that “Cuba will live in peace.”

But the island is experiencing its worst economic crisis in nearly 30 years, which has led to serious shortages of food and medicine, as well as growing social discontent.

The authorities accuse the protest organizers of being agents trained and financed by the United States to bring about regime change.

The warning came after prison sentences of up to 30 years were sought for some of the protesters arrested on July 11, according to independent Cuban media.

In a statement, France urged the Cuban authorities, Monday, to “guarantee the right of the Cuban people to peaceful assembly and demonstration,” noting that it is monitoring the situation “with concern.”

US diplomatic chief Anthony Blinken urged Havana to “respect the human rights of Cubans and allow them to meet peacefully.”

On the other hand, the President of Mexico, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, expressed his admiration for the “pride” of Cuba, which, according to him, operates as a “free and independent” country.

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