Wednesday July 14, 2021
After the demonstrations in Cuba
YouTuber was arrested while broadcasting live
After nationwide protests in Cuba, the government responded harshly: many people were arrested and some went missing. During a live broadcast of an interview with a Spanish television station, security forces suddenly appeared at the door.
Amnesty International says at least 115 people have been arbitrarily arrested in Cuba in connection with the first mass protests against the government in decades. Among them were prominent dissidents and journalists.
A YouTuber was arrested during a live interview on Spanish television about the protests. In the middle of the “Dodo S Mentra” show on Quattro, a Spanish broadcaster on Tuesday, a young woman who calls herself Tina Stars suddenly interrupted another guest and said “security forces are out”. The Cuban woman went to the door of her apartment in Havana and came back in front of the camera shortly after and said she would be taken away. “I blame the government for whatever happens to me,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Dina Stars said in an interview about the protests that erupted on Sunday: “We need help, this is where people are being killed.” People have nothing else to lose, he stressed. “People are dying in Cuba – they are starving or they are getting sick because of the lack of drugs, or they are being killed in demonstrations.”
On Sunday, thousands of Cubans protested in numerous cities against the dictatorial government’s deficit and repressive economy. Isolated reports of the dead and missing came on social media on Tuesday night (local time). Videos are being circulated to show new, minor protests. Initially the information could not be verified independently.
Cuba blocked access to messenger services and online networks such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook and Instagram, which is why little information was leaked. “Lack of access requires a lot of effort to talk about numbers: the dead, the wounded and the missing. But they are,” journalist Abraham Jimenez Enova wrote on Twitter on Tuesday. A number of people on the Facebook group are reported missing. Journalist Yoni Sanchez tweeted that magazines are being targeted. There are police operations in the homes of activists and journalists.
Protests were triggered by a shortage of drugs and food. Under former US President Donald Trump, the United States tightened sanctions against Cuba. During epidemics, tourism was no longer the main source of income. Recently, the number of corona infections has also increased significantly.
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