In Caimanera, a town near the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, a group of people came out to protest on Saturday, demanding “Libertad, Libertad” (Freedom, Freedom). In videos circulating on social networks, dozens of people can be seen walking down the street and shouting “Viva Cuba libre,” while some record with their phones the protest against the Cuban government. Subsequently, mobile internet in Havana began to fail, making communication difficult. Amnesty International also tweeted about the protests and called on Cuban authorities to respect the right to peaceful protest.
In one of the videos, a man can be heard complaining about the lack of electricity and other basic services. The protests have emerged amid an economic crisis that has left Cuba with shortages of food, medicine, and fuel. In May 2022, there were demonstrations in several towns in the province due to frequent power outages, and in September, protests spread to Havana after the passage of Hurricane Ian, which caused a widespread blackout in the country.
Caimanera is a fishing village located on the west coast of Guantanamo Bay, near the US naval base. In July 2021, thousands of people in nearly 50 locations on the island demonstrated, shouting “Freedom” and “We are hungry,” leading to more than 1,300 arrests and several injuries. Since the triumph of the revolution in 1959, these have been the largest anti-government protests in Cuba. According to official figures, nearly 500 of the protesters have been sentenced, some of them to 25 years in prison.