what the world sees is a lie, said President Díaz-Canel

In the same The capital’s Malecón which was taken over by citizens on Sunday with claims ranging from the end of shortages or power cuts to a change of political model On the island, Díaz-Canel and retired leader Raúl Castro reaffirmed that the regime will not give in to pressure.

“It is not on a whim that we meet this morning … we have summoned to denounce the blockade, aggression and terror ”Díaz-Canel told a crowd gathered with Cuban flags, the red and black flags of the July 26 movement – the date considered to be the start of the revolution – and those of the Communist Party of Cuba. “The enemy launched again with everything to destroy the sacred unit and citizen tranquility, ” harangued the Cuban president in an elated tone.

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The speech of Díaz-Canel _ more fiery than his speech on Wednesday last on the national channel_ insisted that the Anti-government marches were artificially triggered by an alleged campaign by anti-Castro groups of Florida with the approval of the United States and that they do not represent the interests of the people. This is an old argument which dates back to the 1960s, and which does not agree with those recorded by independent journalists in Cuba.

“Long live a sovereign, independent and socialist Cuba,” exclaimed the president at the end of his speech. Díaz-Canel, First Secretary of the Communist Party and President, finished his speech without pronouncing the historical motto of “The fatherland or death”, that his predecessor Fidel Castro made famous and that his adversaries transformed into “Homeland and Life. Thus, the explosion of popular anger succeeded in changing a verbal icon of the so-called “revolution”.

The Havana diet “This is not a government that represses its people,” said Díaz-Canel. Events they left one dead, dozens injured and more than 400 detainees.

With Díaz-Canel, former president Raúl Castro, 90 years old, was forced to temporarily retire due to the gravity of the situation.

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Before starting the event, on the Piragua esplanade, near the United States Embassy, a man was arrested after shouting “Patria y vida”, the title of a rebel rap song has become an anthem of protest, AFP news agency reported.

According to the official Granma newspaper, events were planned in other cities of the country this Saturday, such as Santiago de Cuba, Bayamo, Camagüey and Santa Clara.

Detainees: uncertainty and lack of information

During this time, and after six days of repression, according to independent estimates, there are around 400 people missing or detained. “It is not known where many of them are. In many cases, the regime has detained well-known activists and journalists with the apparent aim of preventing them from participating in or reporting on protests, ”he said. José Miguel Vivanco, member of the organization Human Rights Watch.

Among them are three journalists arrested during demonstrations in Camagüey. the journalist and director of Cuba’s La Hora magazine Henry Constantín Ferrero was kidnapped with his companions, Neyfe Rigau, editor-in-chief, and Iris Marín, photographer. The journalist’s mother expressed concern for her son’s safety. “I fear for his life, I am desperate, very worried, I’m afraid … I fear the terror of this dictatorship ”, said Maria Ferrero. The dramatic moment in which Marín is caught was captured by cell phone cameras, according to the media América Tevé.

Friday, Michelle Bachelet, United Nations High Commissioner for human rights, called for the urgent release of all those detained for “exercising their right to freedom of peaceful assembly, opinion and expression” during the days of protest which began on Sunday July 11 and deplored the death of a protester in Havana.

A context of deep crisis

The bottom of the Social unrest is the drop in living standards and consumption, which were already very low, due to the pandemic, added to the exchange rate measures taken by the government. The The pandemic is doubly damaging to the island: on the one hand, it has completely paralyzed tourism, essential for the Cuban economy, and on the other hand, it has caused a significant drop in remittances. the United States. The government blames the crisis entirely to the “blockade”, that is to say to the American trade embargo, but there are structural deficiencies in the Cuban economy that have not been exceeded. For the rest, the “blockade” argument, used for 60 years by the regime, is not very credible for ordinary Cubans, while the standard of living continues to decline despite the fact that Cuba can trade outside the United States. United States with the rest. of the world freely.

The latest blow to popular consumption came from a sharp devaluation in January, which followed the unification of the currencies circulating on the island. This produced a rise in “triple-digit” inflation, according to independent local economists, and food and medicine shortages. To the American trade embargo some 250 sanctions measures taken by the United States during the administration of Donald Trump are added. President Joe biden, which demanded that the Cuban government respect the fundamental rights and freedoms of its people, is debating with its government to take measures to ease the embargo and, above all, to facilitate the expansion of Internet use on the island, which was shown the regime’s most feared weapon Castroite.