Faced with rare protests, Cuba limits access to social media, watchdog says

HAVANA, July 13 (Reuters) – Cuba has restricted access to social media and messaging platforms including Facebook and WhatsApp, global internet monitoring firm NetBlocks said on Tuesday, following the largest anti-government protests for decades.

Thousands of Cubans joined demonstrations across the communist-ruled country on Sunday to protest against a deep economic crisis that has led to shortages of basic goods and blackouts. They were also protesting the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and restrictions on civil liberties.

The Cuban government said the protests were orchestrated by US-funded counterrevolutionaries, manipulating frustration over an economic crisis largely caused by the decades-old US trade embargo.

Demonstrations, rare in a country where public dissent is tightly controlled, had largely ended on Sunday evening, as security forces were deployed in the streets and President Miguel Diaz-Canel called on government supporters to come out. and fight to defend their revolution.

But another protest erupted late Monday in Havana’s southern suburb of La Guinera, where a man died and several others, including members of the security forces, were hospitalized with injuries, according to state media on Tuesday.

He did not say what caused the death. No other deaths or injuries have been officially confirmed to date.

Hundreds of people had taken to the streets of La Guinera, shouting slogans such as “down with communism” and “freedom for the Cuban people”, according to two residents and video footage seen by Reuters. Some started throwing stones at the security forces who eventually responded with gunfire, said Waldo Herrera, 49.

“I think the communists have lost control, they won’t have a solution to this situation,” he said. “The people are tired of so much humiliation, so much repression.”

A Reuters witness saw dozens of people carrying sticks leaving La Guinera on Monday evening.

Activists say the government is using so-called rapid reaction brigades – bands of civilian recruits organized by the government – to counter protesters.

MOBILE INTERNET OUTAGES

They also accuse the government of trying to disrupt communications. Introduced just over two years ago, mobile internet has been a key factor behind the protests, giving Cubans a bigger platform to vent their frustrations and allowing the word to spread quickly when people are on the streets. .

In the capital, there have been regular and atypical mobile internet cuts since Sunday, according to Reuters witnesses.

London-based NetBlocks said on its website that Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram in Cuba were partially disrupted on Monday and Tuesday.

“The pattern of restrictions seen in Cuba indicates a continued crackdown on messaging platforms used to organize and share news of protests in real time,” NetBlocks director Alp Toker said. “At the same time, some connectivity is preserved to maintain a semblance of normalcy.”

Facebook Inc (FB.O), owner of Instagram and WhatsApp, expressed concern about the restriction of its services in Cuba, in a statement to Reuters on Tuesday evening.

“We oppose internet shutdowns, throttling and other disruptions that limit our community’s debate. We hope connectivity will be restored as soon as possible so Cubans can connect with family and friends,” said Joe Osborne, a Facebook spokesperson.

Asked whether the government was intentionally restricting internet connections, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez told a press conference that the situation was “complicated”. He said power outages could impact telecommunications services and that “Cuba will never give up the right to defend itself.”

Telegram did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) said it found no blocks to its service.

“Our weapon is the internet. If they take the internet away from us, we are unarmed,” Havana resident Gino Ocumares said as he tried unsuccessfully to connect to the internet on a Wi-Fi hotspot. -Government fi. “The government doesn’t want people to see the truth.”

“PROVOCATION”

The protest in La Guinera was led by “antisocial and criminal elements” who had tried to reach the police station with the aim of attacking its officials and damaging infrastructure, the Cuban news agency said, managed by the state.

When security forces arrested them, they vandalized homes, set fire to shipping containers and damaged electrical wiring in the suburbs, attacking officials with rocks and other objects, the agency said.

State media also reported on Tuesday that Raul Castro, who resigned as head of Cuba’s ruling Communist Party in April, attended a politburo meeting on Sunday to respond to “provocations”.

Diaz-Canel said in April that he would continue to consult with Castro on matters of the utmost importance.

Cuba’s Episcopal Conference said in a statement that it fears the response to protests over legitimate concerns will be “immobility” rather than an attempt to resolve them, or even a counterproductive hardening of positions.

Reaction to the protest in Latin America has split along ideological lines, with the Mexican president blaming the US embargo for fomenting unrest, while Chile and Peru have urged the government to allow protests in favor of the democracy.

US President Joe Biden said on Monday that the United States “stands firmly with the Cuban people as they assert their universal rights.”

State Department spokesman Ned Price called on the Havana government to open up all means of communication, online and offline.

“Shutting down the technology, shutting down the channels of information – it does nothing to meet the legitimate needs and aspirations of the Cuban people,” Price said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Reporting by Sarah Marsh in Havana and Elizabeth Culliford in New York; Additional reporting by Nelson Acosta and Reuters TV in Havana, Simon Lewis in Washington and Sheila Dang in New York, Juby Babu in Bangalore; Editing by Richard Chang and Rosalba O’Brien

Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.