Mass protests over power outages; New law deepens government control over speech

Introduction

The crisis unfolding in Cuba

The collapse of the electrical grid in October 2024 highlighted the deepening economic and humanitarian crisis facing the island, where widespread shortages of food and fuel have become pervasive.

The economy is in a state of decline, exacerbated by the United States’ policies, notably its 2021 redesignation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, which has aggravated the situation. This crisis has triggered an unprecedented wave of migration, with over 850,000 Cubans arriving in the United States since 2022 and tens of thousands leaving for other countries.

Meanwhile, the government continues its repression of dissent, punishing public criticism and carrying out the arbitrary detention of activists, journalists and protesters (see below). As stated by Amnesty International’s researcher for the Caribbean, “the Cuban state has tried to reimpose a culture of fear so people don’t dare exercise their rights to freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly.”

Human rights defender assaulted in prison

On 22nd March 2024, a high-risk prisoner allegedly physically assaulted human rights defender J.M.M.B., including an attempted sexual assault, at Guanajay prison in Artemisa. The prisoner reportedly used an axe, tried to drown J.M.M.B., and inflicted multiple injuries. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) highlighted the lack of protection for J.M.M.B., as prison authorities failed to supervise detainees who possessed dangerous cutting tools, which they used against other prisoners. The IACHR noted that this situation may indicate the State’s intent to continue punishing J.M.M.B. and reflect the authorities’ acquiescence in the violence against detainees.

J.M.M.B. has been detained at Guanajay prison since July 2021, after his participation in the July 2021 protests. The IACHR raised concerns over the treatment of political detainees in Cuba, who face violations of due process, disproportionate sentences, physical mistreatment, psychological violence and even torture during detention.

In response to the severity of the situation, on 18th June 2024, the IACHR granted precautionary measures for J.M.M.B. The case highlighted the broader issue of political prisoners and the State’s failure to ensure their protection while in custody.

Crackdown on women human rights defenders

On 18th June 2024, Alina Bárbara López Hernández, a historian and coordinator of the “Laboratorio del Pensamiento Cívico” platform, and sociologist Jenny Pantoja Torres were detained by the National Police while travelling to a peaceful protest in Havana. The police detained them at the Bacunayagua checkpoint, where a female officer physically assaulted López, causing injuries to her cervical spine and head. López was charged with contempt after she grabbed the officer’s clothes in an attempt to protect herself from the assault. Both women now face trial for contempt.

Pantoja Torres was subsequently fired from the University of Medical Sciences in Havana. In response, the Latin American Studies Association (LASA) condemned “the political repression against Alina Bárbara López Hernández and anthropologist Jenny Pantoja Torres.”

Furthermore, on 12th September 2024, the Cuban Union of Writers and Artists (UNEAC) expelled intellectual and academic Bárbara López, reportedly due to her critical writings and protests against the government. Six days later, Pantoja Torres faced police surveillance, arbitrary detention and threats from state security agents.

On 20th June 2024, two police officials summoned Lisandra Rivera Rodríguez, a member of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), after she posted a video on her personal Facebook account. In the video, her 4-year-old son sings a song critical of the government. Police arrived at her home to deliver the summons without providing any explanation.

Between 2023 and 2024, the government reportedly engaged in a systematic targeting of Berta Soler Fernández and 46 other members of the Ladies in White (Damas de Blanco) organisation, a group known for its advocacy for human rights and its opposition to the Cuban Government. As reported by eight UN Special Rapporteurs, the government allegedly employed a range of repressive tactics, including arbitrary short-term detentions, criminalisation, physical violence, gender-based violence, harassment, surveillance and threats.

For instance, the Ladies in White documented 539 arbitrary short-term detentions in 2023, affecting 37 members. Most of these detentions occurred during their travel to or from Sunday mass. Between January 2023 and May 2024, 215 such detentions were recorded, with certain members, including Soler Fernández, being detained more than 50 times. The detentions disproportionately affected elderly women.

Likewise, the authorities have reportedly sought to undermine the legitimacy of the Ladies in White by criminalising their activism. Members, including Soler Fernández, have been subjected to baseless criminal charges, leading to custodial measures such as house arrest. In some cases, members have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from three to eight years based on broadly defined charges, such as public disorder and contempt.

The detention conditions faced by some Ladies in White members have been reported to be inadequate. Detainees have encountered obstacles to regular communication with their families, and certain individuals, including mothers, have been subjected to harsh treatment.

Court sentences political prisoner to nine years for criticising the country’s president

On 4th May 2024, the Provincial Court of Havana sentenced political prisoner Jorge Luis Boada Valdés to nine years in prison for the crimes of enemy propaganda and other acts against State Security. Boada Valdés has been incarcerated for over two years following his arrest in February 2022 for writing critical phrases about the president Miguel Díaz-Canel, on a wall in the Lawton neighbourhood.

His sentence consists of four and a half years of confinement and an additional four and a half years on probation, contingent upon good behaviour in prison. His father, Jorge Boada, expressed concerns regarding the legality of the imprisonment, though he noted that the sentence was less than the 15 years initially requested by the Prosecutor’s Office.

Peaceful Assembly

Protests surge amid crisis

Between March and October 2024, the Cuban Observatory of Conflicts (OCC) recorded a total of 5,604 demonstrations, broken down by month as follows: 654 in March, 633 in April, 716 in May, 671 in June, 521 in July, 691 in August, 855 in September, and 863 in October. These protests were primarily driven by power outages, the food crisis, issues within the health system, and growing insecurity.

Some of these protests are outlined below:

On 17th and 18th March 2024, protests erupted nationwide, with people across Santiago de Cuba, Bayamo (Granma) and Santa Marta (Matanzas) taking to the streets to express their frustration over prolonged power outages and critical food shortages. Protesters chanted slogans, including “Corriente y comida” (Current and food), “Patria y Vida” (Homeland and Life), “Libertad” (Freedom), and “No a la violencia” (No to violence). Calls for the resignation of President Díaz-Canel were heard.

These protests represent the country’s most significant wave of civil discontent since the 2021 protests known as 11J. The unrest reflects the increasing frustration across the island, attributed to the deteriorating socio-economic conditions.

According to the Cuban organisation Justicia 11J (Justice 11J), police arbitrarily detained at least 10 people during protests in Bayamo on 17th March. Among those detained, Leandro Tamayo Tito was released on 19th March after paying a fine of 3,000 pesos (USD 125) for “public disorder” and was ordered to return to his residence.

Irina León Méndez, an activist with the Antitotalitarian Forum (FANTU), was forced to leave Santa Marta following her participation in the protests. She was detained, interrogated and compelled to contact her husband to pay a fine before her release. In another instance, Oriesel García and Karel Artiles were detained in El Cobre following a violent arrest.

These actions appear to be part of a broader pattern of arbitrary detention, harassment and criminalisation of people participating in peaceful protests.

In October 2024, widespread peaceful protests occurred in response to repeated blackouts and the recent landfall of Hurricane Oscar in the east. This surge followed a total power outage on 18th October, which left approximately 10 million people without electricity after the island’s largest power plant shut down. The national grid has since collapsed several times.

Since then, at least 66 demonstrations have been recorded across seven provinces, primarily in Havana. Additionally, police arbitrarily detained at least 23 people in Ciego de Ávila, Camagüey, Santiago de Cuba and Villa Clara, linked to their alleged participation in the protests. At least three of them face charges of committing public disorder.

In response, President Miguel Díaz-Canel warned that the government would not tolerate any demonstrations or acts of vandalism. He declared, “We will not accept or allow anyone to act with vandalism, much less disturb the peace of our people.” This statement follows his earlier threat on 20th October to use the legal system to target protestors amid the ongoing energy crisis.

Court sentences six protesters for participation in 2023 protests

On 17th July 2024, the Municipal People’s Court of Niceto Pérez in Guantánamo sentenced six protesters to prison for their involvement in the 6th May 2023 protests in Caimanera. As previously reported by the CIVICUS Monitor, the six protesters were reportedly brutalised by state security forces for demanding freedom and a dignified life. The authorities have claimed that the proximity of Caimanera to the U.S. naval base in Guantánamo is an aggravating factor in the charges.

Daniel Álvarez González, Luis Miguel Alarcón Martínez, Freddy Sarquiz González and Rodolfo Álvarez González received prison sentences ranging from five to eight years, convicted of public disorder and incitement to commit a crime. Felipe Octavio Correa Martínez was sentenced to two years for assault, with the court’s judgment highlighting the “bad conduct” of both Correa Martínez and Alarcón Martínez, citing alcohol consumption and disturbances to public order as aggravating factors.

The sentencing has been condemned by the press freedom organisation Article 19, which decried the Cuban state’s ongoing efforts to suppress dissent through arbitrary detentions and inhumane treatment of political prisoners. The organisation’s statement further noted the worsening conditions for activists and protesters, mainly since the 11th July 2021 anti-government protests.

Article 19 has called on the Cuban government to comply with its international obligations, particularly in protecting the freedom of peaceful assembly and adhering to the Mandela Rules, which set minimum standards for the treatment of prisoners.

Expression

New Social Communication Law tightens grip on independent journalism

On 4th October 2024, the Law on Social Communication came into force and quickly became a tool for escalating repression against independent journalists on the island. The law, which was passed in May 2023, was published in the Official Gazette in June 2024.

The law imposes prior censorship through Articles 13.2 and 51, prohibiting media outlets from publishing content that could undermine the constitutional order, destabilise the socialist rule of law, or defame state entities. These provisions effectively force media outlets into a state of self-censorship, with the constant threat of legal sanctions should content be deemed subversive. Additionally, Article 28.2 designates news agencies, radio, television, and social media as “socialist property of the people,” placing all media outlets under state control.

According to LatAm Journalism Review, the government now has a law specifically targeting online content, giving authorities sweeping powers to censor anything that could be perceived as “foreign war propaganda” or content that “defames, slanders, or insults” the government. In practice, the law marginalises any media not aligned with the Cuban Communist Party, silencing independent voices and tightening the state’s control over public discourse.

The law’s implementation has already had chilling effects. Journalist José Luis Tan Estrada, a vocal critic of the regime, was interrogated by state security agents within days of its passage. The agents accused him of violating the new law, warning that his work could have serious consequences. His case is far from isolated. According to press freedom organisations Article 19 and the Coalition for Women in Journalism, since mid-September 2024, around thirty journalists and collaborators from independent outlets have been targeted. They have been summoned by authorities and threatened with charges of being mercenaries, facing prison sentences of between four and ten years.

As reported by Voices from the South (Voces del Sur), among the journalists targeted are Orlidia Barceló Pérez, Mabel Páez Díaz, Juan Manuel Moreno, and Antonio Suárez Fonticiella, all of whom have been summoned or threatened by the state.

Journalist targeted ahead of 11th July protests anniversary

On 5th July 2024, police detained journalist Tan Estrada while he was reporting from a public park in Camagüey. The detention appeared to be arbitrary and Estrada was released shortly thereafter. Authorities warned him that he could face imprisonment if he visited public spaces on 11th July or published content related to the commemoration of the historic 2021 protests. This incident follows an earlier incident in April 2024, when Estrada was detained in Havana for one week. He was fined 4,000 pesos (USD 167) on charges of “criminal intent” to disrupt Worker’s Day celebrations.

On 9th July, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) denounced the detention of Estrada:

“We are concerned that Cuban authorities’ detention of journalist José Luis Tan Estrada and threats to prevent him reporting on the anniversary of the 2021 protests is a worrying sign that the media may be stopped from covering events on July 11,” said CPJ U.S., Canada and Caribbean Program Coordinator Katherine Jacobsen.

On 21st June 2024, José Jasán Nieves Cárdenas, editor of the independent news site El Toque, received a threatening message from an Ecuadorian phone number. The message, which included a photo and video of a car passing his house, warned him, “we know exactly where to find you.” Nieves believed the message came from Cuban state security agents, noting that he had previously been targeted with similar threats

Cárdenas’ case is part of a broader pattern of harassment and transnational repression targeting Cuban journalists in exile. On 25th July 2024, two unidentified men with Cuban accents threatened Abraham Jiménez Enoa as he was walking home with his two-year-old son in Barcelona, Spain. The men shouted at him, “Abraham, we know you are close to your home.”

The journalist told CPJ that he did not report the threat to the police because he did not know who his aggressors were. He left Cuba in September 2021 following persistent harassment from authorities in retaliation for his critical journalistic work.

The government blocks internet access during protests

On 18th March 2024, authorities restricted mobile internet service in parts of the country amid protests triggered by ongoing power outages and food shortages (see peaceful assembly). These disruptions in mobile internet access coincided with protests in the cities of Santiago de Cuba and Bayamo.

As reported by residents and activists, the mobile internet shutdown lasted approximately five hours, severely impeding the ability of protesters to document events or share information on social media. Given that mobile internet is the primary means for most Cubans to access the internet—due to limited broadband access in households—this disruption significantly hindered the flow of information.