The UN Human Rights chief urges the release of Cuban protesters

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, called on Friday for the urgent release in Cuba of all the people who have been detained for "exercising their right to freedom of peaceful assembly, opinion and expression" during the conference. of protest.

The high commissioner also lamented the death of a 36-year-old protester in the Havana protests, and called for an "independent, transparent and effective" investigation into the event, after which those responsible are punished.

Cuban-Americans attend a protest in support of protesters in Cuba, in Hialeah, Florida, on July 15, 2021. EFE / EPA / CRISTOBAL HERRERA-ULASHKEVICH

Bachelet expressed concern about the arrests, including those of several journalists, as well as the "alleged use of force against the protesters" reported by witnesses to the protests.

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"All persons detained for exercising their rights must be released urgently,"

insisted the former Chilean president, who considered "especially worrying" the reports that some detainees are being held incommunicado or missing.

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Bachelet also called for the complete restoration of internet services and social networks on the island.

US President Joe Biden said Thursday that his government is studying the possibility of reinstating internet access on the island, after Cuba restricted it amid protests.

On the other hand, the high commissioner called for the lifting of the "unilateral sectoral sanctions" suffered by Cuba, "given their negative impact on human rights, including the right to health."

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In recent days, the largest protests in a quarter of a century have taken place in Cuba, driven by food shortages, rising prices and restrictions on basic goods such as medicines and vaccines against COVID-19.

The police have detained dozens of protesters, in many cases

violently

.

The Cuban government has accused the protesters of looting and destroying businesses.

At first, he blamed social media and the United States government for the protests, but later President Miguel Díaz-Canel acknowledged the deficiencies in his government's management of the shortage.

With information from AP and Efe.