Attempted detention of activist reported in Santiago de Cuba

Independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada reported an attempt to detain Maikel Mediaceja Ramos, an activist with the Patriotic Union of Cuba, in Santiago de Cuba. According to his account, plainclothes agents arrived before dawn at the home where food was being distributed. The report places the episode in the Zamorana neighborhood as residents received assistance. José Daniel Ferrer also said the action did not succeed, making it an attempt rather than a completed detention.

The initiative provided free food to vulnerable residents. Several people had participated in the activity for more than two weeks, according to information shared about the case. The house is in Zamorana, Santiago de Cuba, and served as the distribution point. The agents’ intervention occurred, according to the accounts, while the assistance continued, linking the attempt to detain Mediaceja with a community food-distribution effort.

About 300 people came to obtain food, according to Mayeta’s account. Ferrer placed the agents’ arrival at around six in the morning and said more than 300 people gathered at the home. Both descriptions point to high attendance. Mayeta also described a police cordon around the site and said those present defended continuation of the initiative despite the agents’ presence.

Ferrer, a UNPACU leader, alleged that Mediaceja was threatened for distributing food and said the neighbors’ solidarity prevented the detention. His account attributes both intimidation and the attempted arrest to the agents. Mayeta also described the presence of political police around the home. The allegations therefore connect police action with food distribution, although they do not report that Mediaceja was ultimately detained.

Mediaceja is identified as a former political prisoner and UNPACU member. The activity at his home was directed at vulnerable people in the neighborhood and had involved several participants for more than two weeks. The presence of hundreds of attendees and the reported attempt marked the day in Zamorana. According to Mayeta, residents who came for food defended continuation of the assistance despite the police deployment.