(CNN Spanish) -
Cuban police arrested 11 people, while government agents and sympathizers "besieged" another 50 inside their homes to prevent planned opposition protests from taking place on Monday, confirmed to CNN the independent human rights organization Cubalex, based in Havana.
One of the detainees was the Cuban citizen Agustín Figueroa Galindo, who was kidnapped by the police in Havana while walking with his son, according to Cubalex.
Figueroa Galindo wore white, symbolizing being part of the 15N opposition movement, and writes often for the opposition blog "Primavera Digital en Cuba," Cubalex told CNN.
Cubalex confirmed to CNN that among those detained is Berta Soler Fernández, a human rights defender and leader of "Ladies in White", an organization that advocates for the release of political prisoners in Cuba.
Several people are arrested in Cuba who were going to protest against the government 4:05
The CNN team in Havana drove through the city on Monday, reporting a heavy police presence and reporting there were no protests during the day.
The aligned opposition protests took place in several major cities internationally, notably Miami, Buenos Aires, Madrid, Mexico City, Rome, and Montevideo.
CNN images show supporters in each city with the Cuban flag and posters that read "homeland and life."
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla addressed the protests in a live broadcast broadcast by state media, calling them "artificial expectations" and saying there have been "attempts to create an artificial image" of the island.
With information from Jaide García, Patrick Oppmann, Bertha Ramos, Abel Alvarado
This is how the day unfolded:
18 posts
3 hours ago
Silence is not an option but to continue fighting, say Cuban activists in the 15N
By Fernando del Rincón
Young Cuban activists defend their aspiration to find a path to democracy and freedom in Cuba.
For them shutting up, bowing down or leaving their island are not viable options.
Listen to José Carlos Melo and Camila Acosta in Conclusions.
Shutting up or leaving the island are not options, say Cuban activists on 15N 2:16
15 minutes ago
The voices of 15N echo from Cuban exile
By Fernando del Rincón
Although the 15N march was silenced in Cuba, the Cubans in exile did express their discontent against the regime.
Listen below to the voices of protest from Mexico, Argentina, Italy, Spain and Uruguay.
Voices from 15N make themselves felt in exile 3:16
25 mins ago
They shut down the march of 15N in Cuba
By CNN Spanish
The regime calmed the march that was scheduled for November 15 in Cuba.
Police forces packed the streets, at least 11 were arrested, and many of the activists were besieged at their homes by government supporters.
We show you how the day of 15N passed on the island, with citizens at odds and dissidents blocked.
They besiege activists in Cuba during 15N 1:19
7 hours ago
The request for freedom for Cuba from Buenos Aires
With messages from #SOSCuba and #PatriayVida, Cubans demonstrate against the government of the island in Buenos Aires, Argentina, near the Cuban embassy, where another group makes an expression in favor of the Díaz-Canel government.
8 hours ago
Support in Madrid for the protests in Cuba
At the Puerta del Sol in Madrid dozens of people gathered to join the protests in Cuba and support the demands of democracy to the government on the island.
9 hours ago
Vivanco: The reports we receive from Cuba are devastating
The Americas director for Human Rights Watch is critical of the Cuban government's actions during the protests and says it has reports of repression.
The reports we receive from Cuba are devastating.
The regime has deployed the security forces on a massive scale.
Many journalists and critics are besieged at home.
Some have been arrested.
The intention is clear: to suppress any attempt to protest.
# 15NCuba
- José Miguel Vivanco (@JMVivancoHRW) November 15, 2021
9 hours ago
How did Cuba get here?
For years, dissident protests in Cuba have been banned by the communist government that has run the island for years.
But after sporadic demonstrations on July 11, 2021, a group of young activists decided to call peaceful protests to demand that all rights be respected for all Cubans, the freedom of political prisoners and "the solution of our differences to through democratic and peaceful means ”.
Hear their voices here:
9 hours ago
Who are Cuba's allies?
It is a difficult year for Cuba, hit by the covid-19 pandemic and a long economic crisis, and shaken by unusual peaceful protests in July to call for greater freedom and improvements in the economic situation on the island.
Added to that are the protests expected for this Monday.
With pressure from the United States still strong and growing internal discontent, who are the allies that the Cuban government still has?
Who are Cuba's main allies and how did they come to this position?
11 hours ago
Bruno Rodríguez: In the name of the people, the government rejects US interference.
The Foreign Minister of Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla tweeted this Monday in response to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's support for the protests on the island.
"(Blinken) must learn once and for all that the Cuban government only owes itself to its people and rejects, on their behalf, the interference of the United States. We defend the right to enjoy the path to normality in peace and face the challenges we face without interference. in front".
Blinken on Sunday condemned what he called "intimidation tactics" by the Cuban government ahead of protests scheduled for Monday in Cuba and promised that his country will apply measures to "hold accountable" for the repression.
Opposition groups have called the march to demand greater political freedoms and the release of jailed activists, following street protests in July, the largest in decades.
The Cuban government has banned the demonstration, saying it is part of a US destabilization campaign.
"We ask the Cuban government to respect the rights of Cubans, allowing them to meet peacefully ... and keeping the Internet and telecommunications lines open," Blinken said in a statement Sunday.
With information from Reuters
11 hours ago
Activist Abraham Jiménez Enoa denounces siege
The Cuban activist, journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, Abraham Jiménez Enoa, also tweeted this Monday saying that "he is still under siege by agents and policemen in plain clothes."
He tweeted: “Neighbors tell me that today's operation is bigger than yesterday's.
I cannot see it from my balcony because there is a tree that covers them.
I only see his feet.
Are you so afraid of journalism that it comes out to tell the truth? "
It's already # 15N.
I am still under siege by plainclothes police and agents.
Neighbors tell me that today's operation is superior to yesterday's.
I can't see it from my balcony because a tree covers them.
I only see his feet.
Are you so afraid of journalism, that it comes out to tell the truth?
#SOSCuba
- Abraham Jiménez Enoa (@JimenezEnoa) November 15, 2021
This comes a day after Cuban government supporters blocked the apartment of Cuban activist and playwright Yunior García Aguilera in Havana ahead of a protest march planned for Monday by opposition groups.
A government supporter living in the Garcia Aguilera neighborhood told CNN that he is proud to have confined the activist to his home.
The CNN team in Havana has seen a heavy police presence throughout the city this Monday morning.
11 hours ago
The case of Saily González Velázquez
Cuban activist Saily González Velázquez said in a video broadcast live on Facebook on Monday that government supporters are blocking her home in Santa Clara to prevent her from attending the protests.
“At 5:30 in the morning, people called by the Cuban government arrived in my neighborhood.
I know they were called by the Cuban government because of the signs they were carrying, "he told CNN, adding:" They were playing music and when I left my house, they started yelling at me and my family. "
The activist also denounced that those outside her home were threatening her with death.
In the videos, a group of people can be seen outside their home with signs and shouts, and chants of "traitor" can be heard from the crowd.
The crowd can be seen holding signs that read "Nothing Can Beat Us" and "Homeland or Death."
11 hours ago
More Cuban activists blocked in their homes
More Cuban activists are reporting on social media that they are being blocked from their homes ahead of opposition protests planned for Monday.
Cuban officials have vowed not to allow the demonstrations to take place, claiming they are a pretext invented by Cuban exiles and the United States government who want to use the growing tensions within Cuba as an excuse to invade the island.
US officials have threatened to impose sanctions against the communist-run island if the police arrest the protesters.
11 hours ago
So they marched in Miami
Protesters gathered in Miami this Sunday to support the Cuban anti-government protests that are called for this Monday
Check out the photos here:
1 of 6
| Protesters gather in Miami to support Cuban anti-government protesters, on November 14, 2021. - The United States urged Cuban authorities on Sunday to lift the ban on protests ahead of the anti-government demonstrations planned for Monday, the Department said. of State in a statement. The Cuban opposition has called for demonstrations in Havana and six provinces on November 15, which have been banned by the communist authorities, to demand the release of political prisoners. Look in this gallery for images of the marches in Miami this Sunday. (Photo by Eva Marie UZCATEGUI / AFP) (Photo by EVA MARIE UZCATEGUI / AFP via Getty Images)
2 of 6
|
A woman holds a sign calling for the release of political prisoners in Cuba.
(Eva Marie UZCATEGUI / AFP)
3 of 6
|
Cuban activists march this Monday, November 15, despite the fact that the Cuban government announced that it will not allow it.
In Miami, where there is the largest Cuban diaspora, the marches were this Sunday.
(Eva Marie UZCATEGUI / AFP)
4 of 6
|
Giselle de la Mercedes Acosta Obregón (left) and her son pose for a photo during an interview with AFP, during a protest in Miami to support Cuban anti-government protesters, on November 14, 2021. (EVA MARIE UZCATEGUI / AFP via Getty Images)
5 of 6
|
Archipelago activists say that in Cuba there are "systematic violations of civil and political rights" in addition to "the worsening of the humanitarian situation, which is evidenced in the deterioration of all public services, the family economy and the continued gentrification of the population." .
(EVA MARIE UZCATEGUI / AFP via Getty Images)
6 of 6
12 hours ago
They reinforce security in Havana
Police officers stand guard around the Capitol in Havana.
Images from Havana show that there is a presence of police forces around the Capitol.
12 hours ago
Cuban activist Yunior García Aguilera blocked in his apartment
Government supporters blocked the apartment of Cuban activist and playwright Yunior García Aguilera in Havana ahead of an opposition protest march scheduled for Monday.
Several of the supporters told CNN that they would not allow him to carry out the march.
There was also a strong police presence that blocked the street in the neighborhood where García Aguilera lives.
In a live feed on Facebook from his apartment Sunday morning, Garcia Aguilera said he was "not allowed" to leave his apartment.
"I woke up besieged. The entire block is surrounded by State Security dressed in civilians who try to impersonate the people," said García Aguilera.
Supporters of the playwright have since told CNN they believe the government cut off his communications.
12 hours ago
What does the government say about the march?
The central government denied permits for the march, claiming that those who called the protest are financed by the United States.
"The promoters [of the protest], their public projections and links with subversive organizations or agencies financed by the United States government have the open intention of changing the political system of our country," said Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel , in a speech before the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba in October.
Cuban state media have already broadcast images of militias training with AK-47s and members of the "Committee for the Defense of the Revolution" patrolling the streets with metal batons.
12 hours ago
Several cities will join the protests
While the protests will take place in Havana, organizers say that in addition to the island's capital, it will spread to seven provinces and will be replicated in more than 90 cities around the world.
12 hours ago
Why are they protesting in Cuba?
Yunior García Aguilera, the leader of a civic group called Archipelago, explains that they are "to demand that all rights are respected for all Cubans, for the release of political prisoners and for the solution of our differences through democratic and peaceful ".
Archipelago members say they too are harassed for their activism and complain of being followed by civilian-clad state security agents and receiving threats from government officials.
The members also accuse Cuba's state telecommunications company of preventing Cubans from sending text messages with the word archipelago in Spanish or the date of their planned protest, a censorship tactic long established on the island.
CNN has independently confirmed the message blocking.