14ymedio, Havana, 30 March 2024 — The NGO Prisoners Defenders (PD) reported on Saturday that, according to its record, 41 people were arrested in Cuba after the protests on 17 March 2024 (’17M’), of which six were later released. The provinces of Holguín and Santiago de Cuba, with 13 and 12 arrested, top the list, followed by Havana (five), Artemisa (three) and Cienfuegos (two). Last weekend, the organization, based in Madrid, reported that, after the demonstrations of 17M, which protested the lack of food, electricity and freedom, the Police had arrested 38 people but warned that as their investigations progressed, the number could increase.
The list published this Saturday also includes detainees in the provinces of Granma, Guantánamo, Sancti Spíritus, Villa Clara, Las Tunas and Matanzas, with one case in each. PD also points out that six people have already been released since the protests.
⚡️Actualización sobre la cifra de detenidos en las manifestaciones de marzo de 2024 en #Cuba. Se confirman👇
➡️41 detenidos verificados:
▪️ 20 presos políticos nuevos verificados
▪️ 15 detenidos en proceso de verificación como nuevos presos
▪️ 6 liberados#11j… pic.twitter.com/OQ55iUnfGb— Prisoners Defenders (@PrisonersDFNdrs) March 30, 2024
On March 23, in Santiago de Cuba, 18-year-old Cristian Kindelán was arrested for protesting in the Carretera del Morro area. Hours later, his father, Asdrúbal Kindelán Garbey, was also arrested when he tried to report the situation on Facebook in front of the detention center in the Altos de Versailles.
Asdrúbal’s mother and Cristian’s grandmother, Teresa Garbey, explained what happened on social networks and said that her grandson was arrested because he appeared in a video of the protests. When she asked “Major Oscar” of the Ministry of the Interior, the officer responded that he “didn’t have to give an explanation to arrest someone.”
Other organizations offer different figures on the number of detainees after 17M. As of March 19, Cubalex had counted 11 prisoners in El Cobre (Santiago de Cuba), and Justicia 11J pointed out the same figure in Bayamo, capital of Granma province.
After long days of blackouts, on March 17 and 18 there were protests in several Cuban provinces. Citizens demanded “Freedom,” but the screams of “We are hungry” and “We want current” were also heard.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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