Mother of Two Jailed for Protesting Blackouts in Alamar

Doraykis Delgado González, known on social media as Koky Pena, has been detained for over a month at the Women's Prison of the West in El Guatao. Her arrest by the Cuban regime followed her participation in a peaceful protest against power outages in Alamar, Havana.

The arrest occurred on July 7, the same night Doraykis went live on Facebook to expose the police operation against residents of Zone 14, who had endured more than a month without electricity.

In her broadcast, which amassed over 55,000 views, she highlighted the disparity between the general population and the local authorities: "Where do the leaders live? They never experience power cuts. They are in protected circuits, the same old story. Why are they protected circuits and we are not?"

She also pointed out a leader named Jorge Luis, living in a 12-story building in the area, who allegedly owned kiosks and a café under his wife's name, and whose area was never affected by blackouts.

The Immediate Aftermath of the Protest

The authorities restored electricity in the area at 7:15 p.m. while the protesters were still on the streets. However, Doraykis declared it wouldn't deter her: "You can't buy me off with a little bit of electricity. When you cut it again, I'll be back there. I'll keep coming back, and I'll keep fighting."

This mother of two was arrested that very night. After spending her initial days at the 15th Unit of the National Revolutionary Police in Alamar—where she turned 44 on July 19 while detained—she was transferred to the prison known as "Manto Negro" in El Guatao. There, she remains in provisional detention without bail.

Legal Accusations and Health Concerns

The regime charges her with "defamation of institutions and organizations and of heroes and martyrs," a crime outlined in Article 270 of the Penal Code, which carries penalties of up to five years in prison. Her request for a change in preventive measures was denied.

Her situation is particularly dire as she suffers from hemophilia, a condition requiring specialized medical care, putting her life at risk during incarceration.

Her two children—an eight-year-old boy and a seven-year-old girl—are being cared for by neighbors following her arrest, as their father is employed and there are no other family members available to look after them.

The Broader Impact and Reaction

In her broadcast, Doraykis expressed the motivation behind her protest: "This ordinary Cuban mother is fed up, folks, with my kids living like less than human beings. With having to live in perpetual darkness."

Cubalex, the Legal Information Center based in exile, issued a public alert labeling her a political prisoner and demanding her immediate release: "Her imprisonment aims to punish her for protesting and to intimidate others from taking to the streets to claim their rights. No one should be imprisoned for peacefully protesting."

Her case is not isolated. Alamar has been a hotspot of social unrest in 2026, with a previous protest in May ending in repression and at least one arrest. The day after her arrest, residents in other parts of the neighborhood banged pots and burned trash in the streets protesting the blackouts.

The repressive pattern extends across the island: according to Prisoners Defenders, Cuba ended July 2026 with a historic record of 1,327 political prisoners, with at least 15 new incarcerations that month directly linked to protests over blackouts.