Alina Bárbara López Reflects on 10-Hour Detention: "Two State Security Agents Per Square Meter"

Historian and activist Alina Bárbara López Hernández, based in Matanzas, managed to carry out her monthly civic protest at Matanzas' Parque de la Libertad on Thursday. This effort resulted in her being detained for ten hours at a police station—an experience she described as unprecedented in her journey of resistance.

"Yesterday marked the first time that two things happened simultaneously: I was able to conduct my civic protest, and I was detained for ten hours at the police station," López shared on her Facebook profile.

Outsmarting Surveillance

To outmaneuver the watchful eyes of authorities, López employed a straightforward tactic: she publicly announced she would be at the park between 11 a.m. and noon but instead arrived at 7:30 a.m. after setting out at dawn. "They weren't expecting me," she noted succinctly.

Holding a handmade cardboard sign calling for amnesty for political prisoners, López positioned herself by the entrance of the provincial Party on the bustling Milanés Street. Observers in vehicles, motorcycles, and electric cars slowed down to take in the sight.

An Unusual Encounter

Approximately thirty minutes into her protest, López encountered what she described as a blunder by counterintelligence. An unusually luxurious car stopped beside her. The driver, whose identity as a State Security agent seemed apparent, expressed support for her cause and asked if she knew people willing to "overthrow the system," mentioning he brought "balaclavas" from the United States to organize groups.

López firmly replied, "I know many people willing to fight, but not with hidden faces. These individuals believe in non-violent strategies." When the man pressed further, she retorted, "History shows regimes have fallen to non-violent strategies. In Cuba, we've seen that violent efforts to topple a dictatorship didn't bring democracy."

Before the visibly uneasy man drove off, López cautioned him, "Be careful with such proposals. In Cuba, two State Security agents could be within every square meter."

A Lengthy Detention

Five minutes after the car departed, a police patrol returned. An officer addressed her by name, informing her she was being detained for violating her house arrest. She voluntarily entered the patrol car, managing to send a message to her daughter.

At the station, she was taken to a meeting room with "uncomfortable chairs and walls covered with propaganda and excerpts from speeches by Fidel, Raúl, and Díaz-Canel." She spent ten hours there until an order came to issue her a warning act—which she refused to sign—and to confiscate her sign.

This marks López's third extended detention in 2026 for her monthly protest attempts: twelve hours on February 18 and nearly ten hours on April 18. She has been conducting these peaceful demonstrations on the 18th of each month since March 2023, demanding amnesty for political prisoners, an end to repression, and a Constituent Assembly.

Ongoing Legal Struggles

This incident coincides with the two-year anniversary of López and her colleague Jenny Pantoja Torres being detained and beaten on June 18, 2024. Both face charges of "assault" with a proposed prison sentence of four and three years, respectively. Their trial, scheduled for January 30, 2026, was postponed indefinitely without a new date.

López accuses the authorities of stalling the legal process deliberately: "That's why they have the legal process against Jenny and me on hold; it's convenient to resort to house arrest when needed. But that must end." She plans to remind the Matanzas Municipal Court in the coming days that the case remains pending while Cuba holds between 1,207 and 1,260 political prisoners according to human rights organizations.