How Cuba is reacting to Maduro’s capture

The measures were revealed on social media by human rights organizations and coincide with the Cuban communist regime’s fear of possible internal repercussions given the fall of its main regional ally.

According to the human rights organization Cubalex, since this Sunday (4) there has been a significant increase in surveillance in front of the homes of Cuban opponents and activists who still live on the island, in addition to informal orders that prevent these people from leaving their homes. According to the organization, members of the Union Party for Free Cuba (PUNCLI), such as Juan Luis Bravo, José Elías González Aguero and Cecilio Félix Moreno Suárez, remain under siege by security forces, without authorization to move freely on the island.

Opponent Miguel Ángel Herrera told Cubalex that he is under constant surveillance in the city of Guantánamo, where he lives. In the city of Santa Clara, the general coordinator of the United Anti-Totalitarian Forum (FANTU), an organization that opposes the Castro regime, Guillermo Fariñas, who was detained in December and subsequently released, reported that an official from the Havana regime informed his family that he could not leave the house between Monday (5) and this Tuesday (6), under threat of further arrest. Fariñas faces health problems.

Also according to Cubalex, there was also an increase in police and military presence in central areas of Havana, such as Havana Vieja – the city center, with extensive patrolling and control of public space throughout the weekend. The organization claims that these measures are part of a recurring pattern by the Cuban State to prevent manifestations of social discontent in times of regional instability.

The internal reaction occurs in parallel with the Cuban regime’s official response to the events in Venezuela. Cuban dictator Miguel Díaz-Canel publicly condemned the United States operation in Caracas, classifying it as “illegal”, and decreed two days of “national mourning” for the death of 32 Cuban agents who were part of Maduro’s security scheme. The agents’ deaths highlighted the degree of Cuba’s involvement in the Venezuelan regime’s security and intelligence structures.

Report from Associated Press (AP) revealed that Maduro’s capture generated great concern among Cuban authorities, especially due to the risk of interrupting the supply of Venezuelan oil, essential for the island’s already fragile economy. According to the agency, the loss of an ally in Caracas deepens the vulnerability of the Cuban regime, which explains the adoption of preventive repressive measures on the island.