Protests in Cuba have sparked an unprecedented crisis on the island and Castroism fears it will lose social control

The historic anti-government protests that rocked Cuba July 11, the first in 27 years, led to a fierce crackdown by the government of Miguel Diaz Canel. The president accused the United States of orchestrating the protests.

Thousands of people took to the streets on July 11 in 40 towns and villages across the island, mired in the worst economic crisis in 30 years due to the pandemic. The protests, which continued in parts on Monday, left at least one dead, dozens of wounded and more than a hundred detainees, Many of them at location unknown.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Friday called for the urgent release of all protesters detained in Cuba and called for dialogue between the communist government and citizens, while calling for the lifting sanctions against the Caribbean island.