Dozens detained in Cuba after massive anti-government rally
13 July 2021
The biggest anti-government protests in Cuba for decades have led to more than 100 people being detained as of Tuesday, according to the exiled Cubalex human rights group.
What's happening: Amnesty International said in a statement Monday it had received reports of "internet blackouts, arbitrary arrests, excessive use of force" after thousands of people demonstrated against the communist government across Cuba Sunday, as the country faces food and medicine shortages.
- This included "police firing on demonstrators," and there were "reports of a long list of missing persons," the rights group noted.
- The capitol building was cordoned off Monday and the streets were quiet except for a "heavy police presence," as arrests of high-profile opposition figures and activists continued, per Reuters.
The big picture: Cuba is experiencing one of worst economic crises in decades, with tourism hugely impacted by the pandemic.
- Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel blamed U.S. sanctions for the demonstrations.
Go deeper: Biden faces Cuba crisis
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.