Cuba police beat 13‑year‑old during protest as nation marks Day of Martyrs

Cuba commemorated the July 30 Day of the Martyrs of the Revolution, honoring the more than 20,000 Cubans who died fighting Fulgencio Batista and recalling figures such as Frank País. The observance highlighted the historic struggle for national sovereignty.

During the same period, 13‑year‑old Alex Javier Hernández González was violently beaten and arrested by the National Revolutionary Police (PNR) at a protest in Santiago de Las Vegas, Boyeros municipality. His mother posted a video showing injuries to his head, neck and back and reported that he was taken to the Calabazar police station and later detained at the juvenile facility "El Combinadito" in Guanabacoa. Police attempted to blame other protestors, but the boy denied the accusation, underscoring ongoing repression of dissent in Cuba.