Where is Dina Stars? Cuban YouTuber and activist arrested on live TV during protests
Popular YouTuber and activist Dina Stars was arrested on live TV even as the Cuban police allegedly opened fire on a peaceful demonstration killing at least one person. The firing reportedly resulted in the death of the first Cuban protester. According to the Interior Ministry, 36-year-old Diubis Laurencio Tejeda died on Monday, July 12 during a clash between protesters and police.
The political unrest and protests continue on the Communist-run island. According to Interior Ministry, Tejeda was part of a group of protesters that had attacked a government facility in the La Guinera neighbourhood of Havana. The authorities, however, did not reveal the cause of his death.
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Meanwhile, Cuban security forces reportedly arrested Stars who was live on television speaking with Spain TV host Marta Flich about the protests on Tuesday, July 13. Dina has been vocal in her criticism of the government and was arrested during an interview from her home in Cuba. During the interview, she was told that the police were waiting outside her home, forcing her to end the interview. Stars then told Flich, "Security is out there... I have to go out. I make the government responsible for whatever happens to me." Moments later, she returns to inform Flich that she's being taken by the police officers to the station. "They're taking me to {police HQ]. Live via Spain, I will hold the government responsible for whatever happens to me, " she said.
Protesters came down marching to the streets of Cuba on Sunday, July 11, chanting 'down with the dictatorship' in what is being called the 'biggest anti-government demonstrations' on the Communist-run island in decades. According to witnesses, security forces responded with gunfire after some demonstrators threw rocks at them. Cubans are protesting over high prices and food shortages against the government stemming from its handling of the pandemic.
The protests largely ended by Sunday evening as President Miguel Diaz-Canel deployed security forces and called on government supporters to go out and fight. However, another wave of protests emerged on Monday in the southern Havana suburb of La Guinera, which resulted in the death of Tejeda, while several others including members of the security forces, were hospitalized with injuries, a state-run media reported on Tuesday.
The protesters shouted 'down with communism,' and 'freedom for the people of Cuba,' according to two residents. The activists have alleged that the government is using the so-called 'rapid-reaction brigades', a government-organized band of civilian recruits, to fight protesters.