MASS DETENTION OF UNPACU DISSIDENTS IN SANTIAGO DE CUBA
Published February 17, 2015 - UNPACU

UNPACU and Citizens for Democracy activists outside the Church El Cobre on the 8th of September 2014

69 peaceful activists of the Patriotic Union For Cuba (UNPACU) and Ciudadanas por la Democracia (CxD), also affiliated to UNPACU, were arrested in Santiago de Cuba yesterday Sunday February 15, when going to attend mass in the “Santuario Nacional de la Virgen de la Caridad de El Cobre”.

Two of them, badly beaten, required medical attention.

Only fifteen activists managed to evade the operation of more than 250 politic police troops from the Cuban Ministry of Interior.

Between 5am and 9am, this sunday 15th of february, sixty nine peaceful activists of the Patriotic Union For Cuba (UNPACU) and Ciudadanas por la Democracia (CxD), also affiliated to UNPACU, were arrested in the province of Santiago de Cuba, in different cities. Three were hit by a so-called State Security Agent, Mr. Pagán. Two of them, badly beaten with truncheons, required medical attention. Detentions lasted from 1 to several hours. Only fifteen activists managed to evade the operation from the Cuban Ministry of Interior.

OBJECTIVE: PREVENT FROM ACTIVISTS TO ATTEND MASS

The repressive organs of the Castro regime in the province, mobilized more than 250 troops and dozens of informants with the intention to prevent activists to attend mass at the National Sanctuary of the “Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre”. We saw, once more, that these police operations, aimed at violating the right of peaceful people to attend mass, cause discomfort and discontent among tourists and travelers on these routes.

A RECORD OF REPRESSION

From July 2011 to mid-2014 occurred hundreds of arbitrary arrests and beatings by the repressive forces of the Castro regime against “Damas de Blanco” who tried to attend mass at the Sanctuary dedicated to the mother of Jesus, located in the town of El Cobre, about 20 kilometers from the city of Santiago de Cuba. Dozens of activists from UNPACU, supporting the women, were also victims of repression over and over again.

The operatives of the political police to prevent activists from attending Sunday masses became the longest and most exhausting ones for the repressive forces themselves. The women, with the support of UNPACU, began to move toward the shrine even as soon as from Wednesday each week. They were staying in the Inn that the Catholic Church has in place, and when there was no lodging or the guest house denied it, under pressure from the Communist Party, the ladies slept on the floor.

Seeing that they could not prevent activists to attend mass at the shrine with arrests and beatings and that the number of activists increased each month, teasing the long and large police deployments in the region, the political police put their greatest hopes in “intelligence” work. With infiltrators they managed to succeed in what had failed with the previous crackdown. In the middle of last year the political police succeeded and it ended what had become a symbol of the struggle for respect for human rights in Eastern Cuba. But lessons had been learned in how to face the nefarious actions of repressive forces and it had been a school for other activists from neighboring provinces.

Political police infiltrated agents with the collaboration of some of the church workers and created a very hostile environment for the activists, which together with repression and some wrong decisions by the dissident organizors, resulted in the loss of this space that  earlier had been gained with so much effort.

2015: UNPACU & CxD RETURN TO THE “SANTUARIO DEL COBRE”

From September 2014, the newly born organization Ciudadanas por la Democracia (CxD), and UNPACU, agreed to return to the Sanctuary of our “Mambisa” Virgin, to ask for the freedom of political prisoners, respect for human rights and the well-being of the nation. The purpose of returning to the “Santuario del Cobre” was postponed due to a series of events that have consumed much of our energy and time.

On February 8 we call surprisingly several dozens of activists to the “Santuario del Cobre” and seventy-seven reached there safely. Only six were arrested. For this Sunday, we extended the call and the repressive forces arrested sixty-nine of our activists. But they were not only detained and beaten, the so-called State Security Forces also launched a campaign to make faithful Catholics and neighbours of El Cobre believe that our intention is to go to create disorder in the sanctuary and  to sabotage the normalization of relations’ process with the United States, when UNPACU in fact has publicly welcomed this process with good expectations in numerous public declarations.

Fortunately, both the majority of the faithful Catholics and the population know very well that those who violate basic rights, create disorder and assault peaceful people are the repressive forces of the Ministry of the Interior of the despotics of the Castro regime. Many parishioners and neighbors of El Cobre received CxD and UNPACU with much joy on Sunday 8th of february.

The truth is that our activists maintain their firm intention to prostrate before the Virgin “Cachita” to pray for peace and reconciliation, and this worries the repressive agents of the Castro regime. They are willing to act with any excess in order to paralyze what they beforehand believe will deprive them of several sleepless nights every week, under the attack of mosquitoes and inclement weather. The minions of the dictatorship like to earn their beans with the least possible effort.

LIST OF DETAINED ACTIVISTS YESTERDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2015

Detained in the city of Palma Soriano:
1.Geordanis Muñoz Guerrero.
2.Adael Muñoz Guerrero.
3.Gilberto Hernández La O.
4.Marioldi Delgado Romero.
5.Rulisan Rodríguez Ramírez.
6.Roberto Ayala Galindo.
7.Roberto Almaguer González.
8.Pedro Campa Almenares.
9.Yeroslandi Carderin Alvarado
10.Naldo Antonio Ramos Alcántara.
11.Ángel Lino Isaac Luna.
12.Esquizander Benítez Moya.
13.Roner López Hernández.
14.Osmay Vázquez Aranda.
15.Yosmany García Rociando.
16.Rubislandis Ávila González
17.Yenicel Rodríguez Gondre.
18.Yeniséi Jiménez Reina.
19.Yunaisi Martínez Céspedes.
20.Yunaisi Carracedo Milanés.
21.Isolina Reyes Consuegra.
22.Yamila Dinza Rodríguez.
23.Mercedes Moya Isaac.
24.Yanet Días Santiago.
25.Solidaris Arias Almenares.
26.Yailin Rodríguez Olivas.
27.Yasmin Tesidor Hernández.
28.Rosalía Garcés Arace.
29.Paula Girón Castro.

Detained in the city of Santiago de Cuba:
30.Carlos Oliva Rivery
31.Ernesto Oliva Torres
32.Carlos Rafael Torres Romero
33.Alexeis Martínez Vaillant
34.José Augusto Bueno Fuentes
35.Lázaro Barrera de los Santos
36.Onel Nápoles Fernández
37.Héctor Velázquez Gómez
38.Wilder Cusa Cervantes
39.Lorenzo Malesu Isaac
40.Ernesto Tamayo Guerra
41.Soraya Dunet Hernández
42.Doraisa Correoso Pozo
43.Yordanis Chavez Roll
44.Damaris Rodríguez Ramos
45.Lisandra Rivero Rodríguez
46.Niubis Gómez Pérez
47.Miraida Martín Calderín
48.Cristina Bedey González
49.Yasmil Rodríguez Cisneros
50.Bárbaro Tresol Verdecia
51.Rafael Molina Rodríguez
52.Anibal Riviaux Figueredo

Detained in the city of Mella and Palmarito de Cauto:
53.Maidolis Oribe Perdomo
54.Moraima Díaz Pérez
55.Roberto Perdomo Fuentes. Golpeado con una porra.
56.Yarisnier Álvarez Vargas. Golpeado con una porra.
57.Mileidi Gómez Pérez. Golpeada
58.Ismaray González Dalmau
59.Rubén Alvarado Reyes
60.Graciela Domínguez Girón
61.Mileidis Maceo Quiñones

Detained in the city of San Luis:
62.Yanni Núñez Naranjo
63.Ricardo Guzmán Calzado
64.Eliecer Quintana Súarez
65.Roberto González Feria
66.Gabriel Ernesto Torres Velázquez
67.Arisbel Mustelier Osorio
68.Erlis Telles Limonta
69.Eddy Telles Limonta.

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