Man killed in protest against government in Cuba: Interior Ministry Human Rights News

Rare demonstrations caused by the deep economic crisis and the coronavirus pandemic have shaken Cuba in recent days.

A man was killed Monday in a protest against the government on the outskirts of Havana, the Cuban Interior Ministry said on Tuesday, which is rare demonstrations driven by economic inequality they have shaken the island.

Demonstrators marched on Cuban capital and other cities on Sunday to denounce the government of President Miguel Diaz-Canel food shortages and a deep economic crisis the coronavirus pandemic has worsened.

The rally has been met with numerous allegations of arrests and police brutality, as authorities clashed with protesters.

The interior ministry said Tuesday that it “deplored” the death of a 36-year-old man named Diubis Laurencio Tejeda, and that the state news agency said it was involved in “riots.”

The Cuban News Agency said that “organized groups of antisocial and criminal elements” had tried to reach the neighborhood of the police station in Guinea, with the aim of attacking and damaging infrastructure of local officials.

Several civilians and security officials were injured in the protest, the report also said. It was not said how the man died.

The first death associated with this is confirmed protests, the largest in Cuba in decades.

Waldo Herrera, a 49-year-old resident of La Guinea, told Reuters that protesters were marching peacefully, shouting slogans such as “Down with communism”, “freedom for the Cuban people”, “we don’t have medicine, we need food”.

Herrera said protesters began throwing stones at security forces and eventually responded with gunfire.

Diaz-Canel blamed the U.S. for the unrest, and called on supporters of the Cuban revolution to take to the streets on Sunday to protest against anti-government protesters.

The Cuban president has said that US sanctions on the country are causing misery.

Coronavirus infections have also increased in recent times in Cuba, with doctors and nurses demanding that they receive concussions to stop the spread of the virus. If the country has it

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, global Internet control company NetBlocks said the Cuban government had restricted access to social media and Facebook and WhatsApp social networks and messaging platforms.

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

“The pattern of restrictions seen in Cuba represents a constant crackdown on the messaging platforms used to organize and share protests in real time,” said group director Alp Toker. “At the same time, it maintains some connectivity to maintain the appearance of normalcy.”

The government did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.