Robert Besser
25 Nov 2021, 01:39 GMT+10
HAVANA, Cuba: Cuban activists report being forcibly locked inside their homes, amidst a government clampdown on opposition protests on the island.
While protests are not illegal under the Cuban constitution, the communist government said it will not allow November 21's planned demonstrations, which aimed to call for greater political freedoms.
The government also claimed that the protests were secretly organized by Cuban exiles and the U.S. to destabilize the island.
On Monday morning, Havana witnessed a heavy police presence, leading to the streets remaining quiet.
Havana-based independent human rights organization Cubalex said Cuban police arrested 11 people, while 50 others were "besieged" inside their homes.
In a live video broadcast on Facebook on Monday, Cuban activist Saily Gonzalez Velazquez said government supporters barricaded her house in Santa Clara.
"At 5:30 in the morning, people called by the Cuban government arrived in my neighborhood. I know they were called by the Cuban government because of the signs they were carrying," she told CNN, alleging she received death threats from those outside her home.
In a tweet on Monday, Cuban activist, journalist and Washington Post columnist Abraham Jimenez Enoa stated that he was "under siege by plainclothes police and agents."
According to Cubalex, among those arrested on Monday were Cuban citizen Agustin Figueroa Galindo, who often writes for the opposition blog "Primavera Digital en Cuba," and Berta Soler Fernndez, leader of "Damas de Blanco," an organization that advocates for the release of political prisoners on the island.
According to activists, Cuban officials are wary of a repeat of the spontaneous protests that rocked the nation in January and led to over 1,000 arrests.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla stressed that Cuba was "tranquil" and that "outside of Cuba they created expectations that were not met."
Get a daily dose of Shanghai Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Shanghai Sun.
More InformationSOLOMON ISLANDS: In a move that opponents said is aimed at controlling and censoring the media, the government of the ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: In July, a Florida man was killed by exploding Takata airbag inflators, possibly becoming the 20th death in ...
Israel has launched an unprovoked war against the Palestinian resistance group Islamic Jihad. The Israeli army assassinated a high-ranking commander ...
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan categorically denied on Thursday that a U.S. drone strike in Kabul that killed al-Qaeda chief Ayman ...
EAST NUSA TENGGARA, Indonesia: Hundreds of Indonesian tourism workers went on strike this week to protest a sharp rise in ...
NASSAU, Bahamas: A team of explorers have announced that they have uncovered a treasure, including coins, gemstones and priceless jewels, ...
SYDNEY, NSW, Australia - Stocks in Asia were mixed on Monday, but gains and losses were modest.There is concern the ...
SYDNEY, NSW, Australia - Stocks in Asia rose on Friday ahead of U.S. payroll data due to be released later ...
SYDNEY, NSW, Australia - It was all smiles on Asian stock markets Thursday as all the major indices recorded rises.In ...
Tokyo says Sakhalin-1 is too valuable to abandonJapan will not be leaving the Sakhalin-1 oil and gas project in Russia's ...
hong kong - Hong Kong will shorten the COVID-19 hotel quarantine period for all arrivals to three days from seven, ...
Noida (Uttar Pradesh) [Indai], August 8 (ANI): Bulldozers were seen arriving inside Noida's Grand Omaxe Society on Monday morning as ...