“Look, look at the people supporting us”

“Look, look at the people supporting us! You say that these people repudiate us  … look at how we support the people. ”  That was repeated by  Zuleidys Pérez Velásquez on Monday , August 5, at  members of the State of Insecurity when the bus carrying 14 detained opponents passed through the center of Holguin.

Opponents stuck their head out the window and shouted down the dictatorship, Down with Castro, human rights live! and most of the people on the sidewalks and streets supported them with shouts, arms waving and jumping up and down.

Zuledys Perez Velazquez, national president of the CID and a group of activists from various organizations had gone to the provincial offices of the State of Insecurity in Agramonte street between  Área y Libertad and Parque San José, to protest the assault on Zamora Ramon Rodriguez and other members of the opposition.

When they arrived, a mob of more than 200 people awaited them with an act of repudiation. Zuleidys, Danai Mendiola Duquesne and Julio Cesar Ramos Curbelo, as representatives of the group, went to the Offices of Insecurity to demand an explanation for the Act of repudiation. Mayor Eliseo told them that they could not be there.

Zuleidys replied that if they were going to be there until they obtained an explanation, to which the henchman replied that these people had met on their own initiative, and that they (Insecurity) were there to protect the opponents of the trouble to the people.

She replied that they would not move from there until it receives an explanation and that she had video and witnesses that it was he who had taken the workers of La Casona (a company of construction materials and a bakery adjacent) to make the Act of repudiation.

Finding himself to have been discovered as the henchman, Elisha waved to the crowd to restart the  act of repudiation. They grabbed the arms of the opponents, and gave orders of arrest, and started beating and shoving the men and women as they climbed aboard the bus.

Upon arriving at the Center of Operations in the Pedernales, they were left in the metal bus for three hours in the summer sun. They were then taken in one by one for questioning. They were moved from very cold quarters to very warm quarters constantly, until at 21:00 they began to release them. Julio Cesar threatened to go to look for him in the house to give him a beating.

Juan Zacharias Verdecia, a 63 year old almost blind man, was beaten savagely. His mouth was badly injured, and they released him, with badly bruised ribs and a bloody mouth, 8 kilometers away in the neighborhood of Guirabo. As he can barely see, it took him three hours to walk to Holguin.

Zuleidys reported that the meeting had been convened by all organizations to reach an agreement of support each other in cases of repression, and that in fact the agreement was carried out in the action – it was a success that they facilitated by providing us with abuse and outrage.

The meeting was held at the home of Ramon Zamora Rodriguez, representing the Civic Resistance Front Orlando Zapata Tamayo. Before they had all arrived, the dictatorship’s opponents had mounted an act of repudiation and the attendees took several blows, including Zamora.  The women and children were terrified.

The 43 opposition activists arrested on Monday August 5, 2013 in Holguin were:

Zuleidy Lisbet Pérez Velázquez

Carmen Oropesa Ramírez

Rosa María Naranjo Nieves

Danai Mendiola Duquesne

Yolanda Pérez Días

Marisol Pupo Rodríguez

Damaris García Martínez

Berta Guerrero Segura

Magdelivia Pelegrino Guerrero

Liliana Campos Bruzón

Livia Hernández Pérez

Maidolis Leiva Portelles

Julio Cesar Ramos Curbelo

Alexander Marrero De La Rosa

Alexei Jiménez Almarales

Jorge Luis Recio Arias

Emir José Bermúdez Pérez

Julio Cesar Albares Marrero

Luis Jaime Meriño

Mauricio Martínez Días

José Luis Ricardo Soberats

Yuri Miguel Carralero Vázquez

Bernardo Cintero Gonzales

Gilberto Solí Gonzales