René Fidel González Criticizes Political Discrimination in Response to Capitol Protest

Cuban legal scholar and university professor René Fidel González García expressed strong reactions on Facebook this Saturday, following the arrest of Ariel Limias Leyva. Limias Leyva had staged a protest in front of Havana's Capitol, holding a sign demanding an end to political exclusion and discrimination on the island.

At 52, Limias Leyva, a former pastor of the Assembly of God Church and a painter at the San José market, ascended the steps of the Capitol—home to the National Assembly of People's Power—shirtless around 2:00 p.m. on Friday. He carried a placard reading, "No more absurd political discrimination, down with the dictatorship." He was swiftly detained and is currently held incommunicado at the Dragones police station in Old Havana. His wife, Yulia Morales, confirmed, "They have him isolated. I couldn't see him. We have no news about his condition."

González García, who holds a Doctorate in Legal Sciences and was dismissed from his position at the University of Oriente in November 2016 due to what he and human rights organizations claim was political retaliation, shared his views on Facebook using the hashtag #PensarEnCuba, with a direct challenge to the regime.

He declared, "We will continue to arrive until we are all here. No more political exclusion, no more political discrimination. It was not possible before, it is not possible now, and it will never be possible to be free and enslaved at the same time," the jurist wrote.

In his post, González García appealed to history as his key argument: "The history of Cuba is the history of Cubans fighting for political equality, for the end of oppression, and for rights and freedoms [...]. It is the history of democracy and happiness." He directed his uncompromising words at those in power: "There is no honor in what you do, less shame, only arrogance and the small and mediocre illusion that you can eternally subjugate and disdain a people destined for freedom."

González García concluded with a reference to José Martí, challenging the regime's use of the national hero: "You cannot quote a line from José Martí excluding, discriminating, persecuting, and sanctioning a Cuban for their political opinion. The Master's doctrines reside in other hearts."

The immediate trigger for the protest was the October 1st sentence handed down by the East Havana Municipal People's Court against content creator Anna Bensi and her mother, Caridad Silvente. They were each sentenced to two years of restricted freedom for recording and sharing on social media the visit of a MININT agent to their home. On the same day, evangelical pastor "Herald of Christ" was detained trying to reach the court to support the accused.

Yulia Morales emphasized that her husband "is not an activist or part of any movement" and that before leaving, he said, "Someone has to do it for our country." The detainee's father-in-law, Jose Antonio Morales, posted on Facebook: "I hold the Cuban dictatorship responsible for anything that might happen to my son-in-law in Cuba." In videos of the protest, a witness can be heard exclaiming, "They are going to make him disappear, they are going to make him disappear. Now no one joins him."

This is not the first time Limias Leyva has confronted the regime in public: he did so in April 2021 and shortly after July 11th, when he walked through Havana with a "Freedom" sign and was arrested, receiving a fine. This time, reports indicate he remains isolated and under interrogation by political police.

The incident occurs amidst a backdrop of increasing repression: the Cuban Conflict Observatory recorded 663 protests and 136 acts of repression in September 2026, while Cubalex documented nearly 2,000 repressive actions in the first half of the year, with 662 victims in Havana alone.