According to the Cuban News Agency, one person died in Sunday's protests in Cuba, which were sparked by resentment exacerbated by a rising economic crisis during the coronavirus outbreak.
Diubis Laurencio Tejeda, 36, was killed in "disturbances." in the town of Arroyo Naranjo on the outskirts of Havana, according to the Interior Ministry.
According to Cuba Decide, a pro-democracy group, at least 219 people have been arrested or are missing. The group released a list of activists who it claimed had been detained by authorities. Demonstrators used social media to condemn the arrests of protestors by Cuban security police on Monday.
Journalist Camila Acosta, who was reporting the protests for Spain's ABC newspaper, was detained. In a tweet, Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares demanded her immediate release, adding that "Spain defends the right to free and peaceful protests and urges the Cuban government to uphold it. We fight for human rights."
Thousands of people came to the streets around the country on Sunday to protest food, gasoline, and medical shortages, as well as power outages, as part of an economic crisis aggravated by US sanctions. The demonstrations are the largest on the island in decades.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has criticized the United States for continuing to pursue a strategy of isolation "Economic asphyxiation” has “provoked social upheavals in the country,” according to the report.
The president claimed that the protesters included "criminals"
"There is a gang that does criminal acts. We saw delinquents the day before yesterday. The demonstrations were not peaceful yesterday. There had been some vandalism. A completely filthy, indecent, and delinquent act, "Monday, he stated. “They used violence against the people, and the people fought back."
US Vice President Joe Biden stated that the Cuban government must respect its citizens' right to protest.
“The Cuban people are standing up for fundamental and universal rights with courage. Those rights, including the right to peaceful protest and the freedom to choose their own destiny, must be protected, according to Biden.
