Cuban police intensify crackdown on Havana protests, detain activist Alexander Díaz Rodríguez

Police caravans equipped with patrol cars, trucks for detainees and mobile spotlights have been roaming Havana neighborhoods, closing streets to arrest residents who sound pots and pans during nightly power‑outage protests. Detainees are typically released after paying large fines, but many are held on public disorder charges (Article 263) with pre‑trial imprisonment of up to two years.

In a separate incident, former political prisoner Alexander Díaz Rodríguez, who gained international attention after a 2021 protest, said state security officers pointed a gun at his head and fired blanks to simulate an execution. He was arrested again on Tuesday to prevent his attendance at a July 4 ceremony at the U.S. embassy in Havana. Díaz Rodríguez had previously spent five years in prison for his role in the July 11, 2021 demonstrations.

Both episodes illustrate a broader escalation of repression by Cuban authorities against dissenting citizens.