Marianela Peña Cobas, a well-known opposition activist, was subjected to severe physical abuse after being detained by authorities during a protest against power outages in Havana.
"Good morning everyone, they released my sister, not because they are good, but because there's no jail big enough for all the Cubans demanding freedom and the fall of this regime. Look at the beating they gave a woman just for shouting freedom, over and over again, freedom for the Cuban people, freedom for all political prisoners, death to the dictatorship," wrote her sister, fellow opposition activist Marisol Peña Cobas, on her Facebook profile.
Marisol shared photos showing her sister’s face visibly swollen from the alleged beating by the authorities.
On Saturday, Marisol had reported the arrest of her sister Marianela by sharing WhatsApp audio recordings that captured the moment of detention.
In the recording, the loud sound of banging pots can be heard, along with Marianela’s voice amidst the protest: "Five days without power and 65 years of hunger and misery."
"It's the entire people, and now they’re going to take me away"; "they're going to take my phone," she is heard saying in other audio clips.
Growing Unrest in Havana
In the early hours of Sunday, Havana experienced its second night of pot-banging protests over the lack of electricity.
Videos and testimonies circulating on social media depict residents banging kitchen utensils and chanting slogans in the darkness caused by power cuts. "This is over, damn it!" a resident from Guanabacoa was heard saying in one video.
Journalist Mario J. Pentón reported on social media about a protest in the Regla municipality of Havana, where residents took to the streets after enduring several days without electricity.
Other reports on social media mentioned demonstrations in Mulgoba, located in the Boyeros municipality. "In Mulgoba, people also took to the streets with pots... second day of protest in the capital," wrote activist Magdiel Jorge Castro on the social network X, also sharing a video he attributed to a protest in the El Cotorro municipality.
Understanding the Protests Against Power Outages in Cuba
Why are people protesting in Havana?
Residents in Havana are protesting due to prolonged power outages and the general dissatisfaction with the regime's inability to provide basic services, alongside decades of economic hardships.
What methods are protesters using in Havana?
Protesters are using cacerolazos, which involve banging pots and pans to make noise, as a form of protest against the government and to express their frustration over the lack of electricity.
How have authorities responded to the protests?
Authorities have responded with detentions and alleged physical abuse of protesters, as seen in the case of activist Marianela Peña Cobas.