Summary of what happened on 24th of August to members of the Patriotic Union of Cuba, UNPACU. By José Daniel Ferrer UNPACU August 25, 2014 Translation: Eva Belfrage
On the 24th of August in the early hours, the political police of the castro regime started its repressive actions with the intention of impeding UNPACU in Eastern Cuba to carry out acts of celebration on its third aniversary.
More than hundred and thirty activists were arbitarily detained during the day, sixty seven with violence, thirty three were severely beaten and some tens had their clothes and shoes torn to peaces and were left abandoned in the night at more than 20 kilometers from their homes.
The majority of the detentions took place in the province of Santiago de Cuba. In the morning hours 16 women and three men were stopped by agents from the Ministry of Interior, who informed them that nobody could enter the 5th Street in the area of Vista Hermosa (Santiago de Cuba), where we had hour principal act of celebration of the third aniversary of our organization. We planned to gather more than 700 persons.
The 19 activists decided to leave, the repressors shouted offensives against them and our people answered with Viva UNPACU and Down with the dictatorship. More than fifty uniformed security agents attacked them with sticks and fists and put them in a bus which they filled with tear gas. The bus was set in motion completely closed.
Some 20 kilometers from the city they stopped the bus and the members of the opposition who leaned their heads out of the windows for fresh air, were taken out from the bus by agents who had travelled in other vehicles and they hit them. Paula Aracelis Girón Castro was unconsious for nearly three hours. The repressors dragged her from the bus and left her at the side of the road. The activists who were less affected by the repression took her to a clinic where they remanded her to the Provincial Hospital “Saturnino Lora”.
Aracelis Tur, Graciela Domínguez, Yunaisis Carracedo, Wilder Cervantes, Yordanis Chávez, Héctor Velázquez, Belkis Cantillo, were among the most affected with wounds and bruises. Aracelis had one hand fractured. After these first detentions, nearly all activists who tried to get to the meeting places ended up detained or were violently chased away from the neigbourhood. The detentions lasted half an hour for many and for those with longest detentions 24-25 hours.
When even more activists tried to pass the police blocks together, members of the Ministry of Interior became increasingly violent. Those who were detained in the afternoon were also severely beaten and many were left abandoned, with clothes and shoes destroyed, far outside the city. Among the most affected were Samuel Leblán, Roberto Formigo, Jesús Duputey, Rider Brea and Ernesto Vera.
Many of the victims managed to get medicial certificates and left their accusations against their agressors at the military Prosecutor, although they know that we live with a regime with no independence between the State powers and that all obey orders from the Communist Party.
In spite of the police violence more than 200 members of UNPACU in the province of Santiago de Cuba and several tens in other provinces, managed to celebrate the day with different activities: meetings in the street and inside houses, graffittis, pamflets, meals with invited neighbours and audiovisial material was shown about the activities of the organization from the day of its foundation till today.
On its third aniversary since its foundation, UNPACU reconfirms its decision to continue fighting for the democratization and wellfare of the nation and it is consolidating as the numerously largest and most active organization of the Cuban opposition.
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