All of those affected are promoters of the Cuba Decide citizen’s initiative led by Rosa María Payá and members of UNPACU (Unión Patriótica de Cuba, led by José Daniel Ferrer). All are actively working on a national and international campaign denouncing the illegitimacy of the ongoing process of constitutional reform. Furthermore, they are campaigning for the “NO” in the constitutional referendum to be held on February 24th in Cuba.
The constitutional process does not fulfill any of the international requirements to be free and credible. This February 24th the regime will try to legitimize their own corporate-military elite in power, without recognizing the basic rights and fundamental freedoms of the Cuban people, a nation whose sovereignty remains sequestered by the Cuban Communist Party (PCC).
At least eight houses have been arbitrarily occupied byuniformed personnel bearing assault weapons(more than 200 military personnel), and extensive searches are being conducted in each home.
The following Cuba Decide and UNPACU activists were taken from their homes to an unknown destination:
José Daniel Ferrer García,
Nelva Ismarais Ortega (currently six-months pregnant)
Elderly grandmother of Nelva Ismarais Ortega
Fernando González Vaillant
Ernesto Oliva Torres
Carlos Torres Romero
The homes assaulted include the residences of: José Daniel Ferrer, Carlos Amel Oliva, Oliva´s mother-in-law, Carlos Oliva and Ernesto Oliva.
Minutes ago Jose Daniel Ferrer, Nelva Ismarais and her grandmother were released. Jose Daniel Ferrer was severally beaten and the rest of the detainees are still missing.
Private properties have been massively seized by the State Security agents, including: laptops, tablets, hard drives, connecting cables, mobile phones, micro SD cards, batteries, printers and ink supplies, blank paper packs, USB flash memories, and all documentation available.
The neighborhood of José Daniel Ferrer remains under siege in the moment of releasing this URGENT NOTICE. Communications with many other activists on the Island are now interrupted following orders of the Ministry of Interior.
The authorities campaign aggressively for the official option of YES, the only one allowed to be promoted, while the option of NO is socially stigmatized, physically repressed, and criminalized. This military operation is designed to dismantle all effective opposition on the Island, in order to stop their successful work of raising awareness about the fraudulent options imposed to the Cuban people by the regime. The regimen will fail.
The Cuban regimen must refrain from harming any citizens.
We call upon the international community to demand the immediate release of all the promoters of Cuba Decide.
Additionally we invite everybody not to recognize the upcoming referendum as legitimate and support the Cuban people in their efforts to peacefully change the totalitarian system.
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