Attempted Interception of U.S. Embassy Vehicle in Havana Stirs Outrage

On the afternoon of July 2nd, Cuban State Security and police officers attempted an illegal interception of a U.S. Embassy vehicle in Havana. Inside the car were Cubanet journalist Camila Acosta and her partner, writer Ángel Santiesteban, who were on their way to celebrate the U.S. Independence Day. A video shared by Cubanet captures a State Security agent conversing with the driver of the vehicle. According to the media outlet, the officer threatened the driver, claiming that Acosta and Santiesteban were supposedly under detention and could not be transported.

An additional officer made an attempt to forcibly open the rear door of the car to remove Acosta and Santiesteban, who had just gotten in, but was unsuccessful. "Such aggressions against an embassy vehicle violate diplomatic immunity agreements," the independent media remarked while sharing the footage on X. This incident prompted a wave of angry reactions from Cubans who condemned the regime's actions and voiced their alarm over the increasing repression, even against diplomatic entities.

"What henchmen, it's disgusting!" "What a macabre dictatorship!" "They're trying to intimidate the consul, playing with fire. Don't cry later," and "Keep playing with fire, you are not untouchable," were some of the reactions from the public. "Where will the regime's shamelessness end? Now not even diplomatic vehicles are safe from their repressive paranoia. Such provocations not only breach international norms but also reveal the desperation of a power structure that's losing control," commented another observer.

Crackdown on Dissenters

The Cuban regime unleashed a wave of repression to prevent activists, journalists, and civil society members from attending the U.S. Embassy's Independence Day reception in Havana. Martí Noticias reported that several dissidents were arrested, while others were subjected to surveillance or house arrest in a coordinated effort by State Security to block their participation in the diplomatic event.

Beginning in the early hours of July 2nd, activists reported police operations and arbitrary restrictions across the country. Among those detained were Berta Soler, leader of the Ladies in White, who was apprehended in her Lawton neighborhood, and dissident rapper Osvaldo Navarro, intercepted in Cerro along with his partner, activist Marthadela Tamayo.

Others, such as Dr. Oscar Elías Biscet and his wife Elsa Morejón, were prevented from leaving their homes. In Camajuaní, Villa Clara, opposition figure Librado Linares reported surveillance and police presence in his area. In Aguada de Pasajeros, Cienfuegos, brothers Bárbaro and Juan Alberto de la Nuez were threatened by political police to stop them from traveling to the capital. In Pinar del Río, Eduardo Díaz Fleitas and Nilda García Fleitas, mother of a political prisoner, were forbidden from traveling to Havana.

In the capital, independent journalist Yunia Figueredo and her husband, Frank Correa, were detained after refusing to attend a police interrogation. Journalist Reynaldo Escobar of 14ymedio criticized the crackdown as a "disrespect" toward a nation with which Cuba maintains diplomatic relations, noting the historic involvement of Cubans in the U.S. independence.

Recently, the Cuban government has accused U.S. Embassy Chargé d'Affaires Mike Hammer of interference and threatened his expulsion for meeting with dissidents, religious figures, and other civil society representatives.