UN Human Rights Chief Urges For Release of Cuban Protestors

By Giulia Campos on July 17 2021 

The protests in the island nation have sparked an outpouring of support in Florida, which is home to the nation's largest community of Cuban exiles. Currently, over 100 protestors in Cuba remain detained or missing.

The United Nations Human Rights Chief is calling on Cuba to release all detained protestors and journalists as concerns grow over the widespread arrests and continued unrest in the country.

In a statement released Friday, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet urged the Cuban government to attend to the demonstrators’ grievances, such as lifting the economic measures that have been restricting people’s access to basic goods, including food, medicine and COVID-19 vaccines.

“I am very concerned at the alleged use of excessive force against demonstrators in Cuba and the arrest of a large number of people, including several journalists,” Bachelet said. “It is particularly worrying that these include individuals allegedly held incommunicado and people whose whereabouts are unknown.”

A 36-year-old protestor died Monday during a clash between demonstrators and police, leading Bachelet to also call for an investigation into the death.

“I deeply regret the death of one protester in the context of protests in Havana,” she said. “I urge the Government to address the protesters’ grievances through dialogue, and to respect and fully protect the rights of all individuals to peaceful assembly and to freedom of opinion and expression.”

The Guardian reports that at least 140 Cubans have either been detained or disappeared in the unrest. The Cuban government also initially blamed social media and the U.S. government for the protests.

Yet on Thursday, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel acknowledged for the first time that demonstrations may have been attributed to shortcomings in his government’s handling of shortages and of neglecting certain sectors.

Díaz-Canel became leader of Cuba’s Communist party early this year when long-time chief Raúl Castro announced he was stepping down.

For the past six decades, Cuba has seen virtually no protests. This unprecedented change of events has been marked by people who are now more willing to stand up against the government and lead the country in a wave of protests demanding basic human rights.

“Instead of repressing the population, the Cuban authorities have an obligation to protect their right to demonstrate peacefully. President Miguel Díaz-Canel’s inflammatory rhetoric of ‘war’ and confrontation creates an atmosphere of violence against those who demand accountability and the free enjoyment of their human rights,” Guevara-Rosas said.