Hundreds of people defend human rights activist in Madruga

Press Releases

From Cuba

Articles

Human Rights

Media Coverage

» Press Releases

Hundreds of people defend human rights activist in Madruga
By Cuban Democratic Directorate

Madruga, Havana Province – Hundreds of people took to the streets of the town of Madruga, in Havana province to stop the police from evicting a dissident from his house.

On November 2nd, political police arrived at the home of Eddy Hernández Arencibia, a human rights activist, to forcefully evict him and his family who live in Avenida 19 #4216 between 42 and 44, in the district of La Sabana.

“The people went out to the streets and said this was an injustice,” explained Odalys Rodríguez, wife of Hernández Arencibia. “The police could not reach my house because the whole town got in front of them. They came with special troops ready to hit us, but there were so many people there, they were unable to do so. All the women made a human chain with the men behind them. The people of this town, children, women, men, elderly persons, and people I did not even know were at my house.” During the protest, which began around 7pm, the police hit several men who were trying to defend the women who stood in front of the repressive forces.

On November 11th, nine days after the incident, the political police ransacked eight homes in Madruga, among them, the Octavio Hernández Independent Library.

“They threw books on the floor, they broke a door and a refrigerator. They arrested five people, among them two human rights activists and three without any affiliation,” said Yaneyvis Álvarez Sosa, director of the library. “They told me that if I did not open the door, they would knock it down… they came violently. The five people detained are going to be charged with “resisting authority,” but the people know that they are innocent.”

On November 14, alter the arrests, the regime- by means of the so-called economic police – evicted the family of Eddy Hernández Arencibia from their home with the pretext of converting it into a maternity center.

Send by E-mail | Printable Version

About the author