The communist Cuban dictatorial regime began cracking down on pro-freedom protesters on Sunday that stormed the island nation’s streets. Numerous arrests were reported as widespread internet outages spread across the nation.
Cubans took to the street in rarely seen demonstrations to protest the impoverished conditions of the island, their lack of freedom under the far-left Marxist regime, and did so while chanting “Liberty” and “Freedom” and waving an American flag.
The Washington Post reported:
José Miguel Vivanco, director of Human Rights Watch’s Americas division, said his group had received reports that at least 20 people had been arrested. He added that the organization had received reports of violence being used by Cuban forces, a claim echoed by social media users sharing videos of wounded protesters.
“This is pretty massive,” Vivanco said. “My sense is that this is a combination of social unrest based on a lack of freedoms, and covid, and economic conditions. The lack of access to electricity. The blackouts. … People are screaming for freedom.”
🚨#SOSCuba🚨
Cuban police and members of the island’s elite security force can be seen in this video attacking unarmed protestors with rocks. #PatriaYVida
pic.twitter.com/tVXjrWrifZ— Giancarlo Sopo (@GiancarloSopo) July 12, 2021
https://twitter.com/ngotranslations/status/1414413336175906818
https://twitter.com/GiancarloSopo/status/1414384367414255617
🚨#SOSCuba🚨
Cuban state security dressed in civilian clothes just pulled out a revolver and attacked a peaceful pro-democracy demonstrator.
The brave protestor told him: “Shoot me in the chest, motherfucker!” #PatriaYVida pic.twitter.com/6LkSZFrOeJ
— Giancarlo Sopo (@GiancarloSopo) July 11, 2021
AP photographer Ramón Espinosa seized covering Havana protests today. Whatever your view on the news, the civilized condemn when journalists are hurt documenting it. pic.twitter.com/0pfUUrLcnc
— Michael Weissenstein (@mweissenstein) July 12, 2021
“As demonstrators sought to broadcast the protest live with their cellphones through social media, Cuba’s authorities cut internet service on multiple occasions on Sunday,” The Wall Street Journal reported. “Kentik, a U.S.-based network monitoring company, reported countrywide internet outages.”
NBC 6 added, “In several protest areas, internet service on cell phones has been cut off and news from the island is being interrupted.”