Recent public reports from Cuban activists and journalists have once again highlighted the faces behind repression, this time during the televised funeral for Cuban soldiers who died in Venezuela.
During the state TV broadcast honoring the fallen, agents from the State Security, long accused of harassment, threats, violent interrogations, and constant surveillance against independent civil society, were visible.
Among the most frequently mentioned names in these accounts is the officer known as "Darío". For activist Carolina Barrero, he is not just any face. According to her, he followed her for a year, eavesdropping on her conversations and subjecting her to interrogations characterized by psychological harassment and direct threats.
“Here, anyone can have an accident and wake up with a mouth full of ants,” he reportedly told her during an interrogation in La Lisa. Barrero claims his mission was to break her spirit through fear and sleeplessness, though she asserts he never managed to intimidate her.
The identification of "Darío" in the funeral footage was not an isolated incident. Artist and activist Hamlet Lavastida confirmed that this was the same officer who arrested him in June 2021, subjected him to interrogations at Villa Marista, operational houses, and forced relocations, leading to his expulsion from the country alongside Katherine Bisquet.
According to Lavastida, the agent warned him he would be waiting at the airport if Lavastida continued to criticize the regime from exile. The officer even visited Lavastida's mother to caution her about the repercussions of a potential return to Cuba.
Following this initial identification, other whistleblowers began recognizing more faces. Laura Vargas explained that while reviewing clips from the Canal Caribe broadcast, she spotted several agents involved in interrogations, surveillance, and confiscations targeting journalists, artists, and activists.
These patterns are recurring, with officers using multiple aliases, presenting themselves with different military ranks as needed, and acting with particular viciousness against independent media and critical projects. Some are described as particularly irritable, prone to direct threats and familial blackmail.
Another whistleblower recounted the emotional impact of seeing one of her interrogators, "Juan Carlos," leisurely walking with his children during a cultural event in Havana, after subjecting her to nine hours of interrogation at Villa Marista and charging her with "mercenarism."
The scene, she says, starkly revealed the contrast between the private lives of those who repress and the harm they inflict from the shadows. In the same footage, she also recognized "Guillermo," another agent who surveilled her until her departure from the country.
These testimonies share a crucial element: the same individuals who pursue, threaten, and criminalize Cuban citizens now appear in official events, exposed by the cameras of the very system that shields them.
For many, this visibility holds symbolic significance. It is not merely about identifying faces but about documenting, constructing memory, and breaking the anonymity that has long ensured their impunity.
Understanding the Repression in Cuba
Who is "Darío" in the context of Cuban repression?
"Darío" is an officer from the Cuban State Security who has been identified by multiple activists as being involved in harassment, threats, and violent interrogations.
What is the significance of identifying State Security agents in Cuba?
Identifying State Security agents is crucial for documenting abuses, breaking the anonymity that provides them impunity, and building a historical record of repression.
How do these revelations affect the perception of the Cuban regime?
These revelations expose the regime's repressive tactics and challenge its narrative, potentially influencing both domestic and international perceptions.