Anti-government protests in Cuba have resulted in more than 100 people being detained, according to exiled rights group Cubalex.
Reuters, attributing the information to Cubalex, reported those detained by the government since Sunday included protesters, activists, and independent journalists.
Those who took part in the demonstrations said they were angry about the collapse of the Cuban economy. They were also upset about food and medicine shortages, prices hikes, and the government’s response to the pandemic, the BBC reported.
A man who identified himself as "Carlos Alberto" told the BBC he was hiding at his girlfriend's home after taking part in the protests..
"A colleague of mine was arrested," he said. "They came to look for him at his home. I'm afraid the same thing could happen to me," he said.
"We weren't doing anything bad. We’re just asking for freedom and with this attitude they're showing what they are: a dictatorship."
And Amnesty International, in a statement on Twitter, said on Monday: "In a historic day for Cuba, thousands of people took to the streets to demonstrate peacefully, exercising their rights to freedom of expression & peaceful assembly. It is unacceptable that the Cuban government has denied these rights for decades & continues to do so.
"During yesterday’s spontaneous demonstrations, which spread across different areas of #Cuba @AmnestiaOnline received reports of internet blackouts, arbitrary arrests, excessive use of force – including police firing on demonstrators & reports of a long lists of missing persons."
Meanwhile, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel called on supporters to confront the demonstrators.
Tear gas was used to break up some of the protests, while officers used plastic pipes to beat protesters, AFP reported.
"We call on all revolutionaries of the country, all communists, to go out in the streets where these provocations occur ... and to face them in a decisive, firm, and courageous way," Diaz-Canel said in a televised address.
On Monday, the capitol building in Havana was cordoned off and internet outages in Cuba were said to be frequent, according to Reuters.
"It's becoming impossible to live here," said Havana resident Maykel, 21, who declined to give his full name out of fear of retaliation. "I don't know if this can happen again, because at the moment, Havana is militarized."
"Still, Cubans are losing their fear," he said.
The Biden administration said it supported the Cuban people’s right to demonstrate, Reuters reported.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Cuban officials should not blame the demonstrations on U.S. sanctions.
"It would be a grievous mistake because it would show that they simply are not hearing the voices and will of the Cuban people," he said.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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