Amid blackouts of up to 20 hours in various locations on the island, Cuba registered 716 protests and spontaneous public complaints in May, an increase of 12 percent compared to April, reported the Cuban Conflict Observatory (OCC).
In its monthly report, the Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba project counted 169 protests related to the energy crisis, 145 reactions to repressive acts and 132 challenges to the police state.
The province with the most protests was Havana, with 233, followed by Santiago de Cuba with 110; Killings with 50; Pinar del Río and Guantánamo with 39 each; Villa Clara with 38; Camagüey with 30, and Holguín with 27.
“The almost permanent lack of electricity in the rest of the country, with temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius and its implications (loss of food, sleeping outdoors, cooking with charcoal or firewood, lack of water) has kept the population tense and reckless,” the OCC said in a statement.
The report highlights the protest on May 16 in Baracoa, where residents of several towns took to the streets after more than 14 hours without electricity to demand the restoration of service, among other demands.
Pot-banging was also recorded in La Lisa, in Havana; at the Martha Abreu University of Villa Clara; in Juraguá, Cienfuegos; and in Las Tunas, in addition to congas in five districts of Santiago de Cuba, a street blockade in Centro Habana, and graffiti against the ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel in Jagüey Grande and Unión de Reyes, Matanzas, and in Alquízar, Artemisa.
The OCC highlighted the demonstrations of two groups of socially and economically disadvantaged mothers who stood up with their children before the Marianao governments in Havana and Pinar del Río, demanding solutions to housing, food and electricity problems.
Increase in Repression
The Miami-based human rights organization reported that the Cuban regime attempted to contain protests in May by increasing repression. The OCC counted 145 complaints in this category, pointing out “intimidating deployments” of the police and special forces of the Ministry of the Interior in several cities, as well as threats, punishments, and acts of violence to silence opponents, independent journalists, political prisoners and civil society activists.
On May 29, Pedro Vaca, Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, condemned the repression against peaceful protesters in Juraguá, Cienfuegos, stating that the State must respect and guarantee freedom of expression.
The Justice 11J working group reported arbitrary arrests of at least six people and attacks during the protest in Juraguá.
In April, the OCC registered a total of 633 demonstrations of popular discontent in Cuba, including 136 complaints of repressive acts.
