Cuba announced on Wednesday it was temporarily lifting restrictions on the amount of food and medicine travelers could bring into the country in an apparent small concession to demands by protesters who took to the street last weekend.Thousands joined a wave of nationwide protests over shortages of basic goods, curbs on civil liberties and the government’s handling of a surge in COVID-19 infections on Sunday, in the most significant unrest in decades in the Communist-run country.The government blamed the unrest on U.S.-financed “counter-revolutionaries” exploiting hardship caused by the decades-old U.S. trade embargo that Washington tightened in the midst of the pandemic, pushing the Cuban economy to the brink.Several countries and the United Nations have called on the government to respect citizens’ right to express themselves. Others like Mexico have said A demonstrator holds up a bead necklace in the colors of the Cuban flag, July 14, 2021, in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood, as people rallied in support of antigovernment demonstrations in Cuba.And Prime Minister Manuel Marrero said on Wednesday the government would do precisely that from next Monday, lifting restrictions until the year-end.“It was a demand made by many travelers and it was necessary to take this decision,” he said on a roundtable on state television, alongside President Miguel Diaz-Canel.It was not immediately clear how much difference the move would make given that there are very few flights at the moment into the Caribbean island nation which is going through its worst coronavirus outbreak since the start of the pandemic.Government critic Yoani Sanchez, who runs news website 14ymedio, was quick to tweet that such concessions would not be enough to appease those who had protested on Sunday.“We do not want crumbs, we want freedom, and we want it nowwwww,” she wrote. “The streets have spoken: we are not afraid.”Cubans say they have been frustrated by outages in mobile internet and restricted access to social media and messaging platforms since Sunday.“It’s been a bunch of days that no one has been able to connect,” said Havana resident Andrea Lopez. “My husband is in Mexico and I haven’t been able to speak with him.”More than 200 people were detained during or following the protests, according to exiled rights group Cubalex, and only a handful have been released so far.Diaz-Canel said there were three kinds of protesters; counterrevolutionaries, criminals and those with legitimate frustrations. State-run television showed images of a crowd looting a store and another attacking an empty police car.Interior ministry officials said in a program televised later that some of the detained would be pursued for crimes like incitement to violence, contempt, robbery and damage to public property, which carry lengthy prison sentences.  
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The United States will support an inclusive, credible Haitian government, Laura Lochman, the State Department’s acting deputy assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere Affairs, told VOA on Wednesday.Lochman was part of a U.S. delegation President Joe Biden dispatched to Haiti on July 11 in response to a request from the government of Haiti for assistance after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise last week.The U.S. delegation met with Haitian acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph, Prime Minister-designate Ariel Henry and Senator Joseph Lambert.The senator posted a message on Twitter, saying he had met with the U.S. delegation and that they “appreciate” the Haitian Senate resolution naming him as provisional president of Haiti.“It’s up to the Haitians to come up with the solution to this political process at this point so we rely on them and give them all the support that we can to work conclusively, to work together to form a consensus government. And the United States will definitely, along with our international partners, support an inclusive, credible government,” Lochman told VOA in response to a question about who the United States will support as Haiti’s leader.Haitian politicians float their own plansIn Port-au-Prince, a commission comprised of representatives of all sectors of Haitian civil society plans to meet Thursday to sign a political accord that will name a new president.Ted Saint Dic, one of the organizers of the upcoming meeting, told reporters the group plans to meet with the 10 Haitian senators whose terms have not expired.“We will present a plan based on discussions we have already had, that we will make public during the meeting. With regards to the proposal to name Senator Lambert president of the republic, we believe that before making such a decision, there must be consultations. That’s where we are right now,” Saint Dic said.He described the effort as a “society effort” that would not be rushed.“We’re not in a hurry. We want to allow the country to find a way to enter into dialogue and agree on solutions that fundamentally address the biggest preoccupations of the Haitian people,” Saint Dic said. “The people have what it takes to decide who their leader will be.”Elsewhere in the capital, several political leaders held press conferences Tuesday to discuss their efforts to solve the current political void.Former Senator Steven Benoit discussed his plan during a press conference.“I told Senator Lambert that we need to organize as soon as possible a national dialogue with representatives of all sectors of society, including the religious sector, to decide what we are going to do,” Benoit said. “The constitution has been ignored (by President Moise) since January 2020, so today we need a political accord. And I’ve asked Senator Lambert to meet with the different political parties, which he has begun to do, as well as members of civil society, to discuss the issues and come up with a Haitian solution.”Political leader Dieudonne Lherisson of the PLANSPA (Platfom Nasyonal Sekte Popile Ayisyen) Party also held a press conference Tuesday to call for a national dialogue.“Everyone knows there were (only) 11 elected officials in the country — President Moise and the 10 senators. President Moise is dead now, so 10 elected officials remain, who were elected by the people. It is time for them to take responsibility and organize a national dialogue — not to mess around — but rather to find the best formula to reestablish order, fight insecurity and organize elections to allow the people to choose their leader in a democratic fashion,” Lherisson said.“We’re very happy to hear that they’re moving in that direction,” said Lochman told VOA.ElectionsFormer Senator Benoit is pushing for an 18-month transition period, ending with presidential and legislative elections in September or October 2022. But Lochman said the United States would like to see elections held this year.“We have always believed and in fact continue to believe very strongly, that it’s imperative to hold elections for both president and the legislature this year and that is because there has been a vacuum in democratic governance in Haiti that is not serving the needs of the Haitian people,” Lochman said.In fact, the parliament has been out of session since January 2020 when the terms of most of the legislature expired. Elections have not been held to elect new members due to mass protests, the coronavirus pandemic and uncontrolled gang violence.Lochman stressed the need for Haiti’s executive, legislative and judicial branches of government to be fully operational.“You need to have all branches of government in place and working together and working in the pursuit of providing services to the Haitian people that they deserve. And we the U.S. government as well as our international partners have been working with them and will continue to stand with them to improve their democratic governance and institutions,” she told VOA.Troop requestThe question of whether the U.S. will send troops to Haiti has been a hot topic both inside Haiti and in the U.S. since President Moise’s assassination.“The Haitian acting prime minister did send a letter both to the United Nations and the United States prior to last weekend, asking for asking for assistance in maintaining some of their critical infrastructure as well as helping in election security and with the investigation of the assassination,” Lochman told VOA.Pressed about whether the U.S. has decided to send troops to Haiti, she said the conversation is ongoing.“To be clear we are working with them now to get a very clear idea of exactly what their needs are and how we can best respond to those. And while nothing is being taken off the table at this point, we are trying to understand better the fundamental issues they are grappling with,” Lochman said.Renan Toussaint and Matiado Vilme in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, contributed to this story. 
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The United States is encouraging Haitian political leaders, civil society and the private sector to find a political solution that will lead to presidential and legislative elections in the Caribbean island nation later this year, following last week’s assassination of President Jovenel Moise.A commission made up of representatives of all sectors of Haitian civil society plans to meet Thursday to sign a political accord that will name a new president.“We’re very happy to hear that they’re moving in that direction,” said Laura Lochman, the State Department’s acting deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.Lochman on Wednesday sat down with VOA to discuss the crisis in Haiti and how the United States is planning to help with the investigation of Moise’s assassination, gang violence, and COVID-19 cases.Lochman was a member of the U.S. delegation that traveled to Port-au-Prince on Sunday in response to a Haitian government request for security and investigative assistance following the July 7 killing.The following are excerpts from the interview, which has been edited for brevity and clarity.VOA: Various groups of Haitian political leaders plan to meet this week to discuss a solution for the political crisis and name a new leader. Will the U.S. recognize their decision?Lochman: The United States, in conjunction with our international partners, have been in constant contact with Haitian political leaders, encouraging them to come together and have an inclusive, open process and form a unity government that includes the private sector, civil society, as well as the various political parties. So, we’re very happy to hear that they’re moving in that direction.VOA: Haitian Senator Joseph Lambert posted a message on Twitter, saying he had met with the U.S. delegation and that they “appreciate” the Haitian Senate resolution naming him as provisional president of Haiti. Can you confirm or deny that statement?Lochman: We did, in fact — when we were on the ground in Port-au-Prince on Sunday — we did meet with Senator Lambert. We also met with the acting prime minister, Claude Joseph, and Prime Minister-Designate Dr. Ariel Henry. And we have the exact same message to all three gentlemen, which is to encourage them to work together, to take their time, have an inclusive process, draw in other political parties and the civil society actors to come up with a consensus government that could help restore stability to Haiti and lead them to presidential and legislative elections this year.VOA: Would the U.S. recognize Lambert as a leader if that’s the conclusion?Lochman: Again, it’s up to the Haitians to come up with the solution to this political process at this point. So, we rely on them and give them all of the support that we can to work conclusively, to work together, to form a consensus government. And the United States will definitely, along with our international partners, support an inclusive, credible government.VOA: Will the U.S. continue pushing for elections in 2021?Lochman: We have always believed … and continue to believe very strongly that it’s imperative to hold elections for both the president and the legislature this year, and that is because there has been, really, a vacuum in democratic governance in Haiti that is not serving the needs of the Haitian people. There are many significant problems — on the economic front, security front, political front, health front — that need to be dealt with in Haiti, and you need three functioning, fully staffed branches of government responsible to the Haitian people to take on those challenges.VOA: If I may ask, elections have never solved Haiti’s problems. What is the U.S. thinking these elections will settle?Lochman: Well certainly, again, a power vacuum or a lack of democratic governance would never be the solution in our minds. You need to have all branches of government in place and working together in the pursuit of providing services to the Haitian people that they deserve. And the U.S. government, as well as other international partners, have been working with them and will continue to stand with them to improve their democratic governance and institutions.VOA: When does the U.S. expect to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to Haiti?Lochman: The delivery of vaccines is quite imminent — at least the first tranche of vaccines should be arriving very soon. And then, there will be provision of more as conditions allow, in terms of cold storage, etc., but we are committed to providing them as soon as possible.VOA: Has there been consular access to the three Americans who have been accused in the assassination? Is there a determination whether they are culpable?Lochman: We have been informed that there are three American citizens detained by the Haitian National Police (HNP) in connection with the horrible assassination. Our embassy in Port-au-Prince is providing the normal and appropriate consular services to those U.S. citizens.VOA: Has the U.S. said no to any request from Haiti for assistance?Lochman: We have not. We are, again, working very closely — it’s on a constant basis — with Haitian officials to determine what their needs are, to kind of drill down on the specifics and determine how we can best support them from the U.S. government perspective.VOA: Has the U.S. received a request from the Haitian government for U.S. troops to protect infrastructure sites like its ports and the airport?Lochman: Prior to last weekend, Haiti’s acting prime minister did send a letter, both to the United Nations and the United States, asking for assistance in maintaining the safety of some of their critical infrastructure, as well as helping on election security, and with the investigation of the assassination. So again, we’re working internally within the U.S. government, as well as with our international partners, to coordinate with the Haitians on how best to respond to their requests.VOA: The U.S. is saying yes to the request to send U.S. troops to protect Haiti’s infrastructure sites?Lochman: To reiterate, we are working with them now to get a very clear idea of exactly what their needs are and how we can best respond to those needs. And while nothing is being taken off the table at this point, we are trying to understand better the fundamental issues they’re grappling with. And one of the things that we may ramp up, for instance, is our provision of advisers to the HNP to help them combat the gangs that are such a problem there right now. But again, this conversation is going on daily.VOA: Ambassador Michele Sison has been named to a new post at the State Department. When can we expect this administration to name her replacement?Lochman: Ambassador Sison remains the ambassador to Haiti. At this point, she is awaiting Senate confirmation for her new role, and she is on the ground in Port-au-Prince working way too many hours per day and putting her full experience into helping solve the issues on the ground in Haiti.VOA: Is there anything else you would like to add?Lochman: Just that, again, the United States has had a long relationship with the Haitian people, and we are fully committed to doing everything that we can to assist them in this very difficult time that they are experiencing. 
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Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was being evaluated Wednesday for possible emergency surgery for an intestinal obstruction, his office said. Bolsonaro, 66, was admitted to the Armed Forces Hospital in Brasilia early in the morning and was “feeling well,” according to an initial statement that said doctors were examining his persistent hiccups. But hours later, the president’s office said Dr. Antonio Luiz Macedo, the surgeon who operated on Bolsonaro after he was stabbed in the abdomen during the 2018 presidential campaign, decided to transfer him to Sao Paulo, where he will undergo additional tests to evaluate the need for an emergency surgery. FILE – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro reacts during a ceremony in Brasilia, Brazil, March 10, 2021.The stabbing caused intestinal damage and serious internal bleeding and the president has gone through several surgeries since, some unrelated to the attack. In recent weeks, Bolsonaro has appeared to struggle with speaking on various occasions and said that he suffers from recurring hiccups. “I apologize to everyone who is listening to me, because I’ve been hiccuping for five days now,” Bolsonaro said in an interview with Radio Guaiba on July 7. He suggested that some medications prescribed after dental surgery might be the cause. “I have the hiccups 24 hours a day.” The following day, during his weekly Facebook Live session, Bolsonaro apologized again for not being able to express himself well due to weeklong hiccups. Bolsonaro has been under growing pressure from a congressional inquiry into his administration’s handling of the pandemic and alleged corruption in the acquisition of vaccines against COVID-19, and recent polls have indicated that he could lose in the next 2022 election. On Tuesday night, in a 20-minute encounter with the president in Brasilia, supporters repeatedly asked him to look after his health. 
 
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Supporters of slain Haitian President Jovenel Moise gathered Wednesday near the National Palace in Port-au-Prince to honor him, placing multiple floral wreaths near the palace gates.  
 
“We will never forget you,” a man said as he placed a wreath on the ground.  
 
“I have no strength left. I can’t deal anymore. When I think about how he was killed, I just start crying. They massacred the father of the nation,” a female supporter who did not wish to give her name, told VOA.  
 
Another female supporter said she believes the president’s assassination was political.  
 
“Everyone knows why he was killed. He was assassinated just like the emperor (Jean-Jacques Dessalines). For over 50 years, we have dealt with these types of actions — that’s why this country is in such a sorry state. If we don’t change the system, we will never make any progress,” she told VOA.
 
Mackenson Cange, spokesman for the Alliance Democratique Contre la Transition en Haiti Party, said supporters want to send a clear signal to everyone who is watching events unfold in Haiti.  
 
“The president’s blood will not be shed in vain,” he told VOA. “We need to know in what context the president was killed. We need to know the motive behind the killing. We are asking for justice for President Moise, and we are ready to risk our lives to ensure that happens.”
 
Cange appealed to anyone involved in the assassination to surrender to police.  
 
“Don’t let the people be the ones to find you,” Cange said.People place a portrait of slain Haitian President Jovenel Moise with a quote from him that reads in Creole “I try, you don’t give up. Continue fighting,” at a memorial outside the National Palace, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, July 14, 2021.Former Moise campaign colleague Pierre Garry Bernadotte, who is the Haitian delegate for the West Department, said he felt compelled to participate in Wednesday’s event.
“I spent six years and five months with Jovenel Moise. I started out with him on the first day of his campaign, and we stayed with him until his last day. In fact, we continue to serve him (in the government),” Pierre told VOA.
 
“All Haitians must reflect on what happened — regardless of whether you liked Jovenel or not. We must admit that things must change in this country. We need to learn the lesson of this tragedy so that the president does not die in vain,” he said.
 UN tribute  
 
At the United Nations, countries paid tribute Wednesday to the slain president and expressed solidarity and support for the Haitian people.  
 
Flanked by a portrait of Moise and a bouquet of white lilies and hydrangeas, Deputy U.N. Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said the U.N. was joining the people of Haiti in their mourning.  
 
“We say goodbye not only to a head of state, but to a friend, a father and a husband,” she said.
 
“Nothing can justify this act of inhumanity that took place on Haitian soil against President Moise,” the St. Kitts and Nevis’s envoy said, on behalf of the Caribbean Community of states (CARICOM). “It must, therefore, be condemned, and its perpetrators must be brought to justice if we are going to avoid the collapse of civilization in Haiti.”
 
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., expressed support for the people of Haiti. 
“We urge all political parties, civil society groups, and other stakeholders to work together to prioritize calm and stability,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “At this challenging and most difficult time, I want to assure the Haitian people that our partnership with you will continue.”A picture of slain Haitian President Jovenel Moise hangs on a wall before a news conference by acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, July 13, 2021.Funeral planning committee  
 
Acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph said Tuesday funeral planning was being handled in consultation with first lady Martine Moise and the Moise family. An official government announcement was issued ahead of a press conference to introduce members of the official planning committee.
 
“The council of ministers will oversee the committee’s work. The institutions and public administration will provide all necessary resources in completing this mission. The government should provide members of the committee with everything they need while being respectful of the task at hand,” Joseph said.
 
In addition to himself, Joseph said the committee members include the ministers of defense, culture and communication, and interior; the director of the cabinet (chief of staff); the secretary-general of the presidency; and the director-general of the MUPANAH (Musée du Panthéon National Haitien).
 
According to a Moise family member, the president wanted to be laid to rest in the north, where his father is buried.
 
The prime minister called on Haitian citizens to participate in the funeral ceremony and events honoring Moise’s life.
 
“We must bid him farewell with honor and dignity,” Joseph said.
 
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When widespread protests broke out in Cuba Sunday, hundreds of Cuban Americans in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood took to the streets in support. Those street demonstrations in Miami have continued.  Liliya Anisimova has the story, narrated by Anna Rice.Camera: Liliya Anisimova  
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Spain called on Cuba Tuesday to release a journalist who was detained in Havana while covering the biggest demonstrations in the communist country for decades. Camila Acosta, 28, who works for the right-leaning Spanish daily ABC, was held by police Monday night.  Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares implored Cuba to immediately release Acosta and respect the rights of demonstrators. “Spain defends the right to demonstrate freely and peacefully and asks the Cuban authorities to respect it,” Albares tweeted. “We demand the immediate release of Camila Acosta.”  Cuba’s government cracked down on activists Monday night after mass protests drew thousands over the weekend. Acosta, who describes herself on Twitter as an independent Cuban journalist, has reported for ABC for six months. She was uploading photos of the unrest to social media when she was detained. Her arrest prompted international condemnation among politicians and media organizations, as her newspaper said she played no part in the protests and was only documenting them.Demonstrators clash during protests against and in support of the government, in Havana, July 12, 2021.ABC learned that Acosta had been arrested around 8 p.m. Spanish time (2 p.m. in Cuba) on Monday. “She had gone to report on, not to join in, the demonstrations,” Alexis Rodriguez, ABC’s foreign editor, told VOA on Tuesday. “We were told that she has been arrested for crimes against state security.” Cuban authorities later changed the charges to contempt and public disorder, which can carry a jail sentence of three to six years. Rodriguez said the newspaper was “highly concerned” that one of its journalists had been detained and called on the Spanish government to do all it can to help with Acosta’s release. Acosta’s father, Orlando Acosta, lives in Florida and was visiting his daughter in Cuba when she was arrested. “We went out to do a PCR (COVID-19) test so that I could return to the U.S. this Friday when the unrest happened,” Orlando Acosta told ABC Tuesday night.  “I have been told by the Cuban authorities that they are going to charge her with contempt and public disorder,” he added. “They are going to leave her at the police station for another 72 hours before she comes before a prosecutor. I have not been able to see my daughter. They say it is because of the risk of COVID-19.”Orlando Acosta said about 15 police officers raided his daughter’s rented flat with dogs and seized her work computers. He was told she must vacate the premises immediately. Camila Acosta previously had been forced to leave other rented accommodations because she has criticized the Cuban government when she was abroad, her father said. Orlando Acosta said he was told by the Cuban government that his daughter should leave the island forever. “But that would stop her from doing her job as a journalist, which she is content with, and I am not going to interfere in that,” he told ABC. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, a socialist who in 2018 paid the first official visit by a Spanish leader to Cuba in three decades, said the country was “not a democracy.” “Without interference, the country has to find its own way,” Sanchez told broadcaster Telecinco on Tuesday. The Spanish prime minister demanded Acosta’s release, adding that Cubans should be able to protest freely and enjoy the “same rights and freedoms as in Spain.” Media associations in Spain called for her swift release. In a statement, the Spanish Federation of Journalists Associations demanded the removal of “all charges against Acosta” and called on the Spanish government to “do everything necessary so she is released without charges.” The organization condemned all arrests and attacks on journalists in Cuba over the weekend, including against Ramón Espinosa, a photographer for The Associated Press. About 100 protesters, activists and independent journalists have been detained nationwide since Sunday, according to exiled rights group, Cubalex. VOA contacted the Cuban Embassy in Madrid for comment Tuesday but did not receive a reply.  
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Cuba’s government said Tuesday one person has died after anti-government protests, while rights groups said authorities have arrested more than 100 people. The government said a 36-year-old man died Monday during a clash between protesters and police in Arroyo Naranjo, on the outskirts of Havana. The Cuban capital had a heavy police presence Tuesday, two days after demonstrators there and in other parts of the country conducted the largest anti-government protests in decades. Protesters expressed their frustration with food shortages, high prices, electricity outages and the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Cuban state media said Tuesday that former leader Raul Castro had met Sunday with President Miguel Díaz-Canel and the rest of the ruling Communist Party’s leadership to discuss the protests. Díaz-Canel and other officials have blamed the unrest on the Cuban Americans on social media and the United States government’s decades-long embargo on Cuba.  Sanctions and restrictions imposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump and a drop in tourism related to the pandemic have put extra pressure on the Cuban economy in recent years.People gather in Martyrs Park where wifi connections are working in Havana, Cuba, July 13, 2021. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel is accusing Cuban Americans of using social media to spur Sunday’s nationwide antigovernment protests.U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said at a briefing Tuesday that the protesters are “standing up to Cuba’s authoritarian regime.” “Their basic needs are not being met and they are understandably exhausted,” Price said. Internet monitoring firm NetBlocks said Tuesday that the Cuban government had restricted access to a number of mobile messaging and social media services, including Facebook and WhatsApp. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez denied the government was shutting off access. “We have had electricity problems. We have communication problems; connectivity problems,” Rodriguez said Tuesday. “And it is true that we are in a complex situation, and it is true that there has been a lack of electricity these days, which also affects the functioning of the networks of the telecommunications server nodes.” Price said the United States is calling on Cuba to open “all means of communication.” “Shutting down technology, shutting down information pathways, that does nothing to address the legitimate needs and aspirations of the Cuban people,” he said. The United States is also discouraging any potential attempts by people in Cuba to try to leave the island nation by boat and reach U.S. shores. “Any migrant intercepted at sea, regardless of their nationality, will not be permitted to enter the United States,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters Tuesday. “This risk is not worth taking.” Mayorkas said at this point there has been no indication of an increase in migration attempts by sea. Some information for this report came from the Associated Press, AFP and Reuters. 
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Plans are under way for Haitian President Jovenel Moise’s funeral.Acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph said planning was being done in consultation with first lady Martine Moise and the Moise family. An official government announcement was issued ahead of the press conference to introduce members of the official planning committee.”The council of ministers will oversee the committee’s work. The institutions and public administration will provide all necessary resources in completing this mission. The government should provide members of the committee with everything they need while being respectful of the task at hand,” Joseph said.In addition to himself, Joseph said the committee members include the ministers of defense, culture and communication, and interior; the director of the cabinet (chief of staff); the secretary-general of the presidency; and the director-general of the MUPANAH (Musée du Panthéon National Haïtien).The prime minister called on Haitian citizens to participate in the funeral ceremony and events honoring Moise’s life.”We must bid him farewell with honor and dignity,” Joseph said.He did not specify when the funeral would be held but announced that further details would be forthcoming.FILE – Secretary of State Antony Blinken addresses the press July 1, 2021, in Washington.Political voidMeanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Haiti tweeted a video message from Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the situation in Haiti and the assistance the U.S. is providing in the aftermath of the assassination. The message was posted with both Creole and French translations.”The United States is in close consultations with our Haitian and international partners to support the Haitian people in the aftermath of the assassination of President Moise. We urge the country’s political leaders to bring the country together around a more peaceful and inclusive, peaceful and secure vision and pave the road toward free and fair elections this year,” Blinken said in the video message..FILE – State Department spokesperson Ned Price speaks during a media briefing at the State Department, July 7, 2021.State Department spokesman Ned Price told VOA the administration is concerned about Haiti’s institutions and the path to elections.”It’s about Haiti’s institutions. We continue to support the Haitian people and their constitution, knowing that the constitution needs to be an enduring framework for what happens next,” Price said. “And so yes, in our view there needs to be free and fair elections. They need to happen this year — legislative elections, presidential elections — pursuant to the Haitian constitution. And that is precisely why we have continued to support them.”Assassination investigationHaiti’s National police issued three arrest warrants Tuesday for individuals connected to Moise’s assassination. Copies of the documents sent to VOA name the suspects as: Joseph Felix Badio, Rodolf Jaar (aka Dodof) and John Joel Joseph. They are wanted for murder, attempted murder, armed burglary and are described as “armed and dangerous.” The police are seeking the public’s help in locating the individuals.Head of Haitian National Police, Leon Charles, pauses during a news conference in Port-au-Prince, July 12, 2021.Police Chief Leon Charles said police have arrested 18 Colombians and three Haitians in connection with the attack, and that at least five other people were believed to be at large.Police said a Haitian man with ties to the U.S., Christian Emmanuel Sanon, 63, is believed to be the mastermind behind the assassination plot. Haitian Americans James Solages, 35, and Joseph G. Vincent, 55, are in police custody.State Department spokesman Price said officials are aware that Haitian Americans are in police custody.”We continue to monitor the situation closely. As in all cases, we will provide appropriate consular services to detained U.S. citizens,” Price said. “Obviously, privacy considerations preclude us from saying much more, but I do suspect that once we have had access to all three American citizens who are detained, we’ll be in a position to confirm that.”State Department correspondent Nike Ching and White House bureau chief Steve Herman contributed to this report. 
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The U.S. State Department Tuesday called for “calm” in Cuba after the biggest protests in decades against the island’s communist government roiled the country Sunday. “We call for calm and we condemn any violence against those protesting peacefully, and we equally call on the Cuban government to release anyone detained for peaceful protest,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters during a news briefing. Some 150 protesters have been arrested and, according to Reuters, only 12 have been released. FILE – State Department spokesperson Ned Price speaks during a media briefing at the State Department, July 7, 2021.Price added that the U.S. government was considering what it could do to help the thousands of protesters who’ve taken to the country’s streets to protest an economic crisis plaguing the island and the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic by its once vaunted health care system. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters Tuesday that “we’re pulling for the people of Cuba. This has been an outrageous, thuggish regime for some 70 years now.” He added that he didn’t know if the protests were strong enough to “overcome the thugs.” Meanwhile, access to social media platforms remained at least partially restricted Tuesday after the government reportedly shut them down Monday. NetBlocks, a London-based organization, said Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Telegram were among those restricted. Officials in Cuba have not commented on access to platforms on the island. FILE – Cuban President Raul Castro waves at the Gran Teatro in Havana, Cuba, March 22, 2016.In a sign that the Cuban government is concerned about the protests, former head of the Cuban Communist Party Raul Castro attended a meeting of the political bureau to discuss the “provocations,” according to state-run media. Castro stepped down from the position in April and was replaced by Miguel Díaz-Canel. Protests are rare in Cuba, where internal security forces tightly control the population, but economic conditions are causing many to demand changes. “What we want is change,” Yamila Monte, a Cuban domestic worker told AFP. “I have had enough.”  People “are angry because there is no food, because there are problems,” Yudeiky Valverde, a 39-year-old primary school employee, told AFP.  A protester who spoke to the Associated Press but declined to identify himself out of fear of possible arrest said: “We are fed up with the queues, the shortages. That’s why I’m here.”  Maykel, a Havana resident who spoke to Reuters and declined to give his surname, described the situation in Cuba by saying, “It’s becoming impossible to live here.” Some information for this report came from the Associated Press, AFP and Reuters. 
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One of the suspects implicated in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise was a DEA informant, a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration official told VOA in an emailed statement.”At times, one of the suspects in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was a confidential source to the DEA,” the official confirmed. “Following the assassination of President Moïse, the suspect reached out to his contacts at the DEA. A DEA official assigned to Haiti urged the suspect to surrender to local authorities and, along with a U.S. State Department official, provided information to the Haitian government that assisted in the surrender and arrest of the suspect and one other individual.”The DEA official did not identify the suspect.Bocchit Edmond, Haiti’s ambassador to the United States. (Twitter)Haitian Ambassador to the U.S. Bocchit Edmond told reporters last week he had seen video footage obtained by the national police and deemed credible, in which the assassins, whom he described as “mercenaries,” posed as agents of the DEA.”They [were] speaking Spanish and presented themselves as DEA agents. As we well know, this is not the way the DEA operates. I believe they are fake DEA agents. Experts who saw the video said those are professional killers,” Edmond told reporters.”DEA is aware of reports that President Moïse’s assassins yelled ‘DEA’ at the time of their attack,” the Drug Enforcement Agency official said. “These individuals were not acting on behalf of DEA.”Moïse was shot to death at his private residence in a wealthy suburb of Port-au-Prince in the early morning hours of July 7. His wife, Martine Moïse, was seriously wounded in the attack and is in good condition after undergoing surgery in Miami, Florida.Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph, who took charge shortly after the president’s death, told reporters Sunday he has spoken with the first lady several times.The DEA declined to specify how many of its agents are currently working in Haiti, citing “security” concerns. According to a U.S. Justice Department Inspector General report, the DEA established an office in Haiti in 1987, a year after the coup that removed dictator Jean Claude Duvalier from power.Haiti’s Police General Director Leon Charles speaks during a press conference in Port-au Prince on July 11, 2021.Arrests so farHaitian National Police Chief Leon Charles said police have arrested 18 Colombians and three Haitians in connection with the attack, and that at least five other people were believed to be at large.The three Haitian Americans currently in police custody have been identified as Christian Emmanuel Sanon, 63, believed to be the assassination plot mastermind, James Solages, 35, and Joseph G. Vincent, 55.Charles said Sanon arrived in Haiti on a private plane in early June with some of the Colombians. He said some of the assailants contacted him by phone shortly after the assassination. Police seized weapons, munitions, a Dominican Republic vehicle registration, two vehicles and documents addressed to various sectors of the population, Charles told reporters.State Department spokesman Ned Price said officials are aware that Haitian Americans are in police custody.”We continue to monitor the situation closely. As in all cases, we will provide appropriate consular services to detained U.S. citizens,” Price said. “Obviously, privacy considerations preclude us from saying much more, but I do suspect that once we have had access to all three American citizens who are detained, we’ll be in a position to confirm that.”FILE – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, right, meets with Colombia’s Vice President and Foreign Minister, Marta Lucia Ramirez, at the State Department in Washington on May 28, 2021.In New York, Colombia’s Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marta Lucia Ramirez denounced the involvement of Colombian nationals in the Moise assassination after a United Nations Security Council meeting Tuesday.”Let me say that the Colombian government, but also the judiciary system is working with the Judiciary and intelligence from other countries in order to help the Haitian state to identify all the responsibilities in this crime — in this major crime,” Ramirez told reporters, adding that her country is also working with the International Criminal Police Organization, Interpol.”And of course, we are helping Interpol in order to have all the information, the track record about the time when they lived in Colombia, all the information about their communications, everything in order to clarify this horrible crime,” Ramirez said. “Everybody who is involved, everybody who was a physical or intellectual actor of this crime must be punished, and must be punished with an extreme and very high capacity of international justice and the Colombian justice and others.”US delegation in HaitiU.S. President Joe Biden said Monday he dispatched a team to Haiti help with the investigation. The decision was in response to a request from Haiti for help.The delegation consists of officials from the Justice, Homeland Security and State departments and the National Security Council arrived Sunday in Haiti, the White House announced.The FBI told VOA in an emailed statement that it “is currently engaging with the U.S. Embassy in Haiti and our law enforcement partners to determine how we can best support this effort.”In addition to assisting Haitian law enforcement with their own investigation, FBI agents must determine any connections between the plot and Haitian Americans living in the United States, and whether any U.S. laws were violated, said David Gomez, a former FBI special agent and national security expert.The arrests in Haiti of two Haitian Americans, as well as a Haitian-born doctor with ties to the U.S., in connection with the assassination plot gives U.S. prosecutors jurisdiction to investigate the case, Gomez said.He added that investigators will likely look into a possible violation of the Neutrality Act, which prohibits Americans from getting involved in foreign affairs such as trying to overthrow a foreign government.”The United States government wants to determine whether there are any other co-conspirators or people of Haitian American background or any background still in the Miami area who may be party to this conspiracy,” Gomez said.The initial FBI team in Haiti is likely to be made up of a top headquarters official, as well as agents from the Miami Field Office, which maintains liaison offices for South America and the Caribbean, and the legal attaché in charge of Haiti.A spokesperson for the Miami Field Office declined to provide details about the investigative team.Moto-taxi drivers wait their turn to fill their tanks at a gas station, in Port-au-Prince, July 13, 2021, almost a week after President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in his home.Leadership vacuumIn Port-au-Prince, although the interim prime minister has taken charge of Haiti’s political affairs, a leadership vacuum remains. A day before his murder, President Moise named Ariel Henry as the country’s new prime minister. Joseph, who was serving as both prime minister and foreign minister, was to stay on as foreign minister.U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne said in a statement the U.S. delegation had met with Joseph, Henry and Senate President Joseph Lambert.”The delegation also met with Acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph and Prime Minister-Designate Ariel Henry in a joint meeting, as well as Senate President Joseph Lambert, to encourage open and constructive dialogue to reach a political accord that can enable the country to hold free and fair elections,” the statement said.Senator Lambert denounced Joseph on Twitter Monday, for criticizing Henry during the meeting. Je suis indigné. Le Premier Ministre nommé #ArielHenry avoue que le ministre @ClaudeJoseph03 l’a dénoncé devant la délégation américaine. Injures graves, invectives, calomnies et atteinte ont fait le menu. Ah! ces imberbes…— Sénateur Joseph Lambert (@josephlambertHT) July 12, 2021 “I feel insulted. Prime Minister designate #ArielHenry admits that minister @ClaudeJoseph03 denounced him in front of the American delegation,” he tweeted.Joseph has not yet responded to Lambert’s tweet.Asked by VOA who the United States considers to be the leader of Haiti, the State Department and White House declined to comment.State Department spokesman Price told VOA the administration is concerned about Haiti’s institutions and the path to elections.”It’s about Haiti’s institutions. We continue to support the Haitian people and their constitution, knowing that the constitution needs to be an enduring framework for what happens next,” Price said. “And so yes, in our view there need to be free and fair elections. They need to happen this year — legislative elections, presidential elections — pursuant to the Haitian constitution. And that is precisely why we have continued to support them.”Masood Farivar, State Department Correspondent Nike Ching, United Nations Correspondent Margaret Besheer, White House Bureau Chief Steve Herman and , Matiado Vilme, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, contributed to this report.
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Protesters rallying against Cuba’s government on Sunday expressed a number of grievances, including the state of the country’s economy and the response to the coronavirus pandemic.
 
“What we want is change,” Yamila Monte, a Cuban domestic worker told AFP. “I have had enough.”
 
The protests were the largest against the government in decades and took place in the capital, Havana, as well as multiple areas across the country.
 
People “are angry because there is no food, because there are problems,” Yudeiky Valverde, a 39-year-old primary school employee told AFP.
 A Timeline of Recent Events in Cuba Critical events leading up to current developments as unprecedented protests roil country Cuba is in the midst of severe economic woes.  The government reported the economy shrank by 11% last year.  A drop in tourism after the Trump administration imposed new travel restrictions and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic have added to the strain of the continued U.S. trade embargo and sanctions targeting shipments of oil from Venezuela.
 
With a sharp spike in COVID-19 cases this year, protesters are upset about the medical system.
 
“There have been demonstrations because of the drugs, because there are none, there is nothing in the country,” Niurka Rodriguez, a 57-year-old rumba singer told AFP, while acknowledging the impact of the U.S. embargo.
 People wave Cuban flags during a protest against the Cuban government at Versailles Restaurant in Miami, on July 12, 2021.Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel blamed the U.S. policies for the unrest, an accusation denied by U.S. officials. U.S. President Joe Biden said the protesters “are demanding their freedom from an authoritarian regime.”
 
A protester who spoke to the Associated Press but declined to identify himself out of fear of possible arrest said: “We are fed up with the queues, the shortages. That’s why I’m here.”
 
Maykel, a Havana resident who spoke to Reuters and declined to give his surname, described the situation in Cuba by saying, “It’s becoming impossible to live here.”Cubans are seen outside Havana’s Capitol during a demonstration against the government of Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel in Havana, July 11, 2021. In Photos: Anti-government Protests in CubaThousands of Cubans have taken to the streets since Sunday in the largest anti-government demonstrations in decades, with people demanding freedom from an authoritarian regime, expressing frustration with the economy and criticizing the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
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April 2018: Miguel Díaz-Canel replaces Raúl Castro as president September 2019: United States sanctions maritime firms for transporting Venezuelan oil to Cuba March 2020: Coronavirus pandemic prompts government to halt arrivals of international air passengers September 2020: United States bans Americans from staying at hotels owned by Cuban government December 2020: Cuba reports economy shrank 11% in 2020 January 2021: Cuba ends dual currency system January 2021: U.S. President Donald Trump designates Cuba a state sponsor of terrorism February 2021: Cuba surpasses 30,000 total COVID-19 cases April 2021: Díaz-Canel replaces Castro as head of Communist PartyApril 2021: Cuba surpasses 100,000 total COVID-19 cases June 2021: Cuba surpasses 200,000 total COVID-19 cases July 2021: Anti-government demonstrators protest food lines, electricity cuts, lack of access to medicine Some information for this report came from the Associated Press and Reuters 
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World leaders are expressing their support for the Cuban people after Sunday’s demonstrations across the island.   The foreign minister for the European Union, Josep Borrell, urged the Cuban government “to listen to these protests of discontent” during a press conference Monday in Brussels after meeting with EU foreign ministers.   Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International, called Sunday’s protests “a historic day for Cuba” while expressing concern over reports of “internet blackouts, arbitrary arrests, excessive use of force — including police firing on demonstrators” as well as “a long list of missing persons.” Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador speaks during a ceremony marking the third anniversary of his presidential election at the National Palace in Mexico City, July 1, 2021.  Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador told reporters in Mexico City Monday that a “truly humanitarian gesture” would be for the United States to lift the five-decade economic embargo of Cuba.  “No country in the world should be fenced in, blockaded,” he said. In the United States, the mayor of Miami, Florida, called on the Biden administration to lead an international effort to help Cubans, who are suffering under the island’s long-serving communist government, he said. “The government of Cuba is an illegitimate government,” Mayor Francis Suarez told reporters Monday. “And the people of Cuba are starving. They’re in need of medicine. They’re in need of international help. And frankly, unless the Cuban military or the Cuban police turns on the Cuban government, the Cuban people will continue to be repressed without any hope of freedom in the future.” Miami is home to a large community of Cuban exiles who fled their homeland after Fidel Castro seized power in the 1959 revolution. Another Florida political figure, Republican U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, praised the demonstrations, characterizing the events as “historic, peaceful and organic protests that arose throughout Havana and other provinces in Cuba” in a letter to President Joe Biden. Senator Rubio urged the president to take a number of steps to help the Cuban people, including identifying those involved in “acts of violent repression inside Cuba” and banning them from entering the United States. Democratic U.S Senator Bob Menendez, the chairman of the chamber’s Foreign Relations Committee, called for the “violence and repression” against the Cuban people to end. “The world’s eyes are on Cuba tonight and the dictatorship must understand we will not tolerate the use of brute force to silence the aspirations of the Cuban people,” he said in a statement issued late Sunday. Some information for this report came from the Associated Press, Agence France-Press and Reuters.  
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There was a heavy police presence in Cuba’s capital, Havana, on Monday, with the streets calm following Sunday’s anti-government protests. President Miguel Díaz-Canel gave a nationally broadcast speech in which he blamed the unrest on “a policy of economic suppression” by the United States. He said the origins of problems cited by the protesters, including shortages of food, electricity and medicine, are all the result of the U.S. embargo on Cuba. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken rejected that position, saying “it would be a grievous mistake for the Cuban regime to interpret what is happening in dozens of towns and cities across the island as the result or product of anything the United States has done.” U.S. President Joe Biden said those protesting “are demanding their freedom from an authoritarian regime.”  He added that the United States “stands firmly with the people of Cuba as they assert their universal rights, and we call on the government of Cuba to refrain from violence in their attempt to silence the voices of the people of Cuba.” Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro expressed his government’s support for Díaz-Canel on Monday and said, “If the U.S. really wants to help Cuba, let it immediately lift the sanctions and the blockade against its people.” The protests were the largest anti-government demonstrations in Cuba in decades.  Some information for this report came from the Associated Press, AFP and Reuters. 
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Cuba is known for mammoth, officially sanctioned gatherings to celebrate the anniversary of the Cuban Revolution and May Day, while even very much smaller anti-government demonstrations like those Sunday are very rare on the tightly controlled island.  Some of the most significant protests: Aug. 5-6, 1994: Thousands of Cubans take to the streets amid a severe economic crisis after the collapse of the Soviet Union, whose aid propped up Cuba’s economy. President Fidel Castro shows up at one gathering, deterring the protesters. 2003: A group of wives and mothers of prisoners, known as the Ladies in White, demonstrate in front of a church in Havana after the government rounds up dissidents and sentences them to severe prison terms. The group stages rallies, with fluctuating numbers of participants and an irregular schedule, in various places until at least 2018. May 2019: A demonstration by the LGBT community without the backing of official institutions ends in confrontation and arrests. Authorities call the rally a provocation. November 2020: Artists, representing numerous approaches to art, gather in front of the Ministry of Culture to demand more space for independent creation. 
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Cuban Americans gathered again Monday outside a restaurant in Little Havana in Miami to show support for protesters in Cuba.On Sunday, nearly 5,000 people showed up at the Versailles Restaurant, a well-known gathering spot for people of Cuban descent, local media reported. They waved Cuban and U.S. flags and shouted “Viva Cuba libre” and “Down with communism!”Demonstrators also gathered outside the Cuban Embassy in Washington, D.C., on Sunday.Cuban citizens take part in a demonstration against Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel’s government outside the Cuban Embassy, in Mexico City on July 12, 2021.In Miami, social media showed a smaller gathering outside the restaurant on Monday. The local CBS4 news station said hundreds of cars driving by honked in support of demonstrators.Miami Mayor Francis Suarez told the local news station on Monday that the previous day’s protests in Cuba were “a spontaneous uprising that has never happened in the last 60 years. It happened in more than a dozen cities across Cuba.””The United States and the international community must do something now,” Suarez told the gathering outside the restaurant, according to the local CBS new station. “The people of Cuba need medicine. They are starving. They are in need of international help. Unless the Cuban military turns on the government, the people of Cuba will continue to be oppressed without any hope of freedom in the future.””Sixty years of Communism, cruelty and oppression cannot last any longer!” Suarez, who had taken part in Sunday’s demonstration, wrote on Twitter after denouncing Cuban police, who had beaten and detained some demonstrators.Frustrated by the country’s repressive dictatorship and the lack of food and medicine exacerbated by the coronavirus, thousands of Cubans took to the streets in dozens of cities across the country Sunday. Inventario, a website specializing in Cuban data, tracked at least 25 protests in different locations throughout the island, the Miami Herald reported.Many Americans of Cuban origin gathered in the U.S. as a gesture of support.”I am very moved because I did not think it would take place,” Aleida Lopez, a Cuban living in the U.S. state of Florida, told Agence France-Presse on Sunday.”The young people have finally said ‘enough is enough. We will do what the older ones could not do,'” Yanelis Sales, a Cuban American, told AFP.Cuba’s protests were the first major popular mobilization since the 1959 revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power. In Cuba, the only permitted gatherings are usually those of the Communist Party, AFP reported.A woman holds a Cuban flag during a demonstration in support of anti-government protests in Cuba, in front of the Spanish parliament in Madrid, Spain, July 12, 2021.In Florida, state Governor Ron DeSantis said on Twitter that “Florida supports the people of Cuba who take to the streets against the tyrannical regime in Havana,” AFP reported.”The next few days will be decisive for Cubans who demand freedom,” Florida Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nunez told AFP on Monday.On Monday, U.S. President Joe Biden urged Cuba to “refrain from any violence and any attempt to silence the people of Cuba.”He added: “The Cuban people are demanding their freedom from an authoritarian regime. I don’t think we’ve seen anything like this protest in a long, long time, if, quite frankly, ever.”Cuban American Gianni Leyva, who was among 25 people who demonstrated in front of the White House in Washington on Monday, told AFP, “This is the start of change … I hope that the Cuban people stay out there in the streets. I hope they fight. They fight for their freedom.””Let’s hope the president and Congress take a step in the right direction and help my country,” Sergio Alvarez, a Cuban-born electrician, told AFP. He said his father died last year on the island for lack of medical care.Some information for this report came from Agence France-Presse and The Associated Press. 
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Large contingents of Cuban police patrolled the capital of Havana on Monday following rare protests around the island nation against food shortages and high prices amid the coronavirus crisis. Cuba’s president said the demonstrations were stirred up on social media by Cuban Americans in the United States.  Sunday’s protests marked some of the biggest displays of antigovernment sentiment in the tightly controlled country in years. Cuba is going through its worst economic crisis in decades, along with a resurgence of coronavirus cases, as it suffers the consequences of U.S. sanctions imposed by former President Donald Trump’s administration.  Many young people took part in demonstrations in Havana. Protests were also held elsewhere on the island, including in the small town of San Antonio de los Baños, where people objected to power outages and were visited by President Miguel Díaz-Canel. He entered a few homes, where he took questions from residents. Authorities appeared determined to put a stop to the demonstrations. More than a dozen protesters were detained, including a leading Cuban dissident who was arrested trying to attend a march in the city of Santiago, 900 kilometers southeast of Havana. The demonstrators disrupted traffic in the capital for several hours until some threw rocks and police moved in and broke them up. Police stand guard near the National Capitol building in Havana, Cuba, July 12, 2021, the day after protests against food shortages and high prices amid the coronavirus crisis.Internet service was spotty, possibly indicating an effort to prevent protesters from communicating with each other. “We’ve seen how the campaign against Cuba was growing on social media in the past few weeks,” Díaz-Canel said Monday in a nationally televised appearance in which his entire Cabinet was also present. “That’s the way it’s done: Try to create inconformity, dissatisfaction by manipulating emotions and feelings.” In a statement Monday, U.S. President Joe Biden said Cuban protesters were asserting their basic rights.  The U.S. urges the Cuban government to serve their people ”rather than enriching themselves,” Biden added. United Nations deputy spokesman Farhan Haq on Monday stressed the U.N. position “on the need for freedom of expression and peaceful assembly to be respected fully, and we expect that that will be the case.”  The demonstrations were extremely unusual on an island where little dissent against the government is tolerated. The last major public demonstration of discontent, over economic hardship, took place nearly 30 years ago, in 1994. Last year, there were small demonstrations by artists and other groups, but nothing as large or widespread as what erupted this past weekend. A Cuban flag hangs on Parque Central Hotel in Havana, Cuba, early on July 12, 2021, the day after protests against food shortages and high prices amid the coronavirus crisis.In the Havana protest on Sunday, police initially trailed behind as protesters chanted, “Freedom!” “Enough!” and “Unite!” One motorcyclist pulled out a U.S. flag, but it was snatched from him by others. “We are fed up with the queues, the shortages. That’s why I’m here,” one middle-age protester told The Associated Press. He declined to identify himself for fear of being arrested later. Later, about 300 pro-government protesters arrived with a large Cuban flag, shouting slogans in favor of late President Fidel Castro and the Cuban revolution. Some assaulted an AP video journalist, smashing his camera. AP photojournalist Ramón Espinosa was then beaten by a group of police officers in uniforms and civilian clothes. He suffered a broken nose and an eye injury.  The demonstration grew to a few thousand in the vicinity of Galeano Avenue, and the marchers pressed on despite a few charges by police officers and tear gas barrages. People standing on many balconies along the central artery in the Centro Habana neighborhood applauded the protesters passing by. Others joined in the march. About 2 1/2 hours into the march, some protesters pulled up cobblestones and threw them at police, at which point officers began arresting people and the marchers dispersed. AP journalists counted at least 20 people who were taken away in police cars or by individuals in civilian clothes.  
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Cubans facing the country’s worst economic crisis in decades took to the streets over the weekend. In turn, authorities blocked social media sites in an apparent effort to stop the flow of information into, out of and within the beleaguered nation.Restricting internet access has become a tried-and-true method of stifling dissent by authoritarian regimes around the world, alongside government-supported disinformation campaigns and propaganda. On the extreme side, regimes like China and North Korea exert tight control over what regular citizens can access online. Elsewhere, service blockages are more limited, often cutting off common social platforms around elections and times of mass protests.Sites blocked On Monday, Cuban authorities were blocking Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram, said Alp Toker, director of Netblocks, a London-based internet monitoring firm. “This does seem to be a response to social media-fueled protest,” he said. Twitter did not appear to be blocked, though Toker noted Cuba could cut it off if it wanted to.While Cuba’s recent easing of access to the internet has increased social media activity, Toker said, the level of censorship has also risen. Not only does the cutoff block out external voices, he said, it also squelches “the internal voice of the population who have wanted to speak out.”Internet access in Cuba has been expensive and relatively rare until recently. The country was “basically offline” until 2008, then gradually over the past 12 to 15 years, it entered a digital revolution, said Ted Henken, a Latin America expert at Baruch College, City University of New York.The biggest change, Henken noted, was in December 2018 when Cubans got access to mobile internet for the first time via data plans purchased from the state telecom monopoly. Since then, the percentage of Cubans with internet access has grown quickly to more than 50% today, Henken said.Real-time accessThe mobile revolution has given Cubans real-time, anywhere-you-are access to the internet and the ability to share information among themselves, he added. Since early 2019, this access has facilitated regular, if smaller, events and protests on the island, and in response, the government has periodically shut down access to social media, mostly to hide its repressive tactics from both citizens and foreigners, he said.The Cuban government also restricts independent media in Cuba and “routinely blocks access within Cuba to many news websites and blogs,” according to Human Rights Watch.Cuba is going through its worst economic crisis in decades, along with a resurgence of coronavirus cases, as it suffers the consequences of U.S. sanctions imposed by the Trump administration.The protests now, the largest in decades, are “absolutely and definitely fueled by increased access to internet and smartphones in Cuba,” said Sebastian Arcos, associate director of the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University.”Yesterday evening we had people calling from Cuba to relatives here in Miami trying to figure out what was going on in the next province,” Arcos said. But he noted that Cubans are also using a number of tricks to bypass government control.Internet shutdowns becoming commonGovernment internet shutdowns after or ahead of protests have become commonplace, whether lasting for a few hours or stretching for months. In Ethiopia, there was a three-week shutdown in July 2020 after civil unrest. The internet blackout in the Tigray region has stretched on for months. In Belarus, the internet went down for more than two days after an August 2020 election seen as rigged sparked mass protests. Mobile internet service repeatedly went down during weekend protests for months afterward.A decade ago during the Arab Spring, when social media was still in its early years and Egypt, Tunisia and other countries in the Middle East faced bloody uprisings that were broadcast on social media, headlines declared the movements “Twitter Revolutions,” and experts debated about just how important a role social media played in the events.Ten years later, there is no question that social media and private chat platforms have become an essential organizing tool. Restricting them, in turn, is a routine move to suppress dissent. Internet service was disrupted in Cali, Colombia, during May anti-government protests.This year has also seen disruptions in Armenia, Uganda, Iran, Chad, Senegal and the Republic of Congo.India shuts down internetBut authoritarian regimes aren’t the only ones getting into the act. India routinely shuts down the internet during times of unrest. Toker of NetBlocks said the imposition of internet restrictions in Cuba follows an emerging global pattern and not always in the countries you most expect them, such as a recent Nigerian cutoff of Twitter. On the plus side, he said, the world is much more aware of these incidents because it’s easier to monitor and report them remotely.On Sunday, all of Cuba went offline for less than 30 minutes, after which there were several hours of intermittent but large outages, said Doug Madory of Kentik, a network management company. He said large internet outages were rare in Cuba until very recently.”There was an outage in January just for mobile service following the ’27N’ protests,” Madory said, referring to a movement of Cuban artists, journalists and other members of civil society who marched to the Ministry of Culture on November 27, 2020, demanding freedom and democracy.Henken said he doesn’t believe the government would shut off access for an extended period of time, even though that is its go-to tactic for dissidents and activists.”The problem they have now is that it’s not a handful of activists or artists or independent journalists – it’s now a massive swath of the population all throughout the country,” he said. “So the genie is out of the bottle. They’re trying to put it back in.”
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Amid the largest anti-government protests in decades in Cuba, U.S. President Joe Biden is expressing support for the people of the Caribbean island nation, underscoring their right to peaceful protest.  “The Cuban people are demanding their freedom from an authoritarian regime. I don’t think we’ve seen anything like this protest in a long, long time if, quite frankly ever,” Biden said in the Roosevelt Room of the White House. “The United States stands firmly with the people of Cuba as they assert their universal rights and we call on the government of Cuba to refrain from violence in their attempt to silence the voices of the people of Cuba.” U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting at the White House in Washington, July 12, 2021.Biden made his remarks at the start of a meeting with local leaders about gun violence.  The White House is also rejecting Cuba’s claim the United States it is to blame for the public unrest.  “There’s every indication that yesterday’s protests were spontaneous expressions of people who are exhausted with the Cuban government’s economic mismanagement and repression,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said during Monday’s briefing. “And these are protests inspired by the harsh reality of everyday life in Cuba, not people in another country.” Her comment came shortly after Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla accused U.S.-paid mercenaries of fomenting unrest.”Yesterday in Cuba there was no social uprising, yesterday in Cuba there was disorder, disturbances caused by a communicational operation that had been prepared for some time and to which millions had been dedicated,” said the foreign minister.  Earlier in the day, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, in a nationally broadcast address alongside his Cabinet, said the social unrest there was the result of “a policy of economic suppression” by the United States.  A police line is seen blocking a road leading to the National Capitol Building, in Havana, Cuba, July 12, 2021.Demonstrators threw stones at police and at foreign currency shops, stole items and overturned cars, engaging in “totally vulgar, indecent and delinquent behavior,” according to Diaz-Canel. The Cuban president is calling for the country’s “revolutionary” citizens to counter the anti-government protest.  “We are prepared to do anything,” he said. “We will be battling in the streets.” Protesters on Sunday chanted slogans calling for freedom, liberty and unity as they marched in the capital, Havana, until police eventually broke up the march while making some arrests.  Demonstrators turned out in other parts of the country, including in San Antonio de los Banos, near Havana, voicing their anger about long lines for food, cuts in electricity, and trouble with the supply of medicine amid the coronavirus pandemic.  Cuban health officials on Sunday reported 6,923 new COVID-19 infections and 47 deaths.  Cuba has been under communist rule since 1959 when Fidel Castro’s popular revolution compelled dictator Fulgencio Batista to flee the island.  “This regime has brutalized and denied freedom to generations of Cubans, forcing many including my family to flee or be murdered, and over the coming days will widen its violence to try to suppress the brave protesters in the streets,” said Republican Ted Cruz of Texas, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.  Another prominent Republican senator, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, said on Twitter: “President Biden: freedom in Cuba needs you now. Don’t be AWOL.” AWOL stands for Absent Without Leave.  President Biden, freedom in #Cuba needs you now! Don’t be AWOL.https://t.co/hWgxptw0nJ— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) July 12, 2021Asked by a reporter on Monday whether the weekend’s events compel the Biden administration to prioritize a review of its Cuba policy, Psaki responded that the White House “is monitoring closely” events in the country, and “we will be closely engaged, we will be looking to provide support for the people of Cuba.”  The United States proclaimed an embargo on trade with Cuba in 1962. The embargo relaxed somewhat in the year 2000, when Congress passed a law allowing American businesses to sell food and “humanitarian goods” including medicine to Cuba. In January of this year, outgoing President Donald Trump hit Cuba with new sanctions in the final days of his administration, redesignating the country as a “state sponsor of terrorism.” Asked by a reporter on Monday whether he would consider a change to the embargo policy, Biden replied he would have more to say on Cuba later in the week, “so stay tuned.”  Some information for this report came from the Associated Press, AFP and Reuters.  
 
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U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet is calling for action and concrete measures to end systemic racism and racial violence against Africans and people of African descent. The high commissioner has presented a series of recommendations to address existing problems in a report to the U.N. Human Rights Council.
 
The report was mandated by the Council a year ago in the aftermath of the killing of African American George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis, in the U.S. state of Minnesota.  
 
Bachelet called Floyd’s murder a tipping point. She said it has shifted the world’s attention to the human rights violations routinely endured by Africans and people of African descent.
 
The report provides a comprehensive view of the inequalities, marginalization, and lack of opportunities that render many people of African descent powerless, trapped in poverty and victimized by a system of social injustice.FILE – United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet looks on after delivering a speech on global human rights developments during a session of the Human Rights Council, in Geneva, June 21, 2021.The report focuses on lethal incidents at the hands of law enforcement. Bachelet says her office has received information about at least such 190 deaths of Africans and people of African descent. She notes 98% have occurred in Europe, Latin America, and North America.  
 
She said there has been a strikingly consistent failure to see justice done in all these cases.
 
“Three key contexts in which police-related fatalities stood out: The policing of minor offenses, traffic stops and stop-and-searches; the intervention of law enforcement officials as first responders in mental health crises; and special police operations in the context of the ‘war on drugs’ or gang-related operations.… Moreover, law enforcement officers are rarely held accountable for human rights violations and crimes against persons of African descent,” Bachelet said.
 
The killing of George Floyd was a rare exception. Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin whose actions resulted in the death of Floyd was captured on video and witnessed by millions, was found guilty of his crime and sentenced to more than 20 years in prison.
 
In a video statement, Floyd’s brother Philonius, said he still feels the horrific pain of watching his brother pass away.
 
“He was tortured to death in broad daylight. That was a modern-day execution…It is difficult knowing that you can run from the police, and they still will shoot you in the back with [you having] no weapon. You do not have any weapon but at the same time they still get qualified immunity,” he said.
 
In view of the profound and wide-ranging injustices, Bachelet said there is an urgent need to confront the legacies of enslavement and to seek reparatory justice.
 
Her recommendations include acknowledging the systemic nature of racism to transform the structures. They call for holding law enforcement officials accountable for crimes, guaranteeing the right of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly during anti-racism protests, and taking steps to address the harms caused by means of a wide range of reparations measures.
 
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Firefighters in the western United States and Canada are battling numerous wildfires as hot, dry weather worsens drought conditions. A wildfire burning in southern Oregon, near the California border, expanded to more than 600 square kilometers, prompting evacuations and disrupting electrical transmission lines that deliver electricity to California. Firefighters are not likely to get much relief in the coming days with conditions forecast to be dry and windy, with temperatures well above average. Authorities said Sunday they are shifting more crews to working overnight when it is easier to battle the fires and build containment lines. California is dealing with its largest wildfire of the year, burning just north of Lake Tahoe. The Beckwourth Complex Fire grew to 348 square kilometers in size, while firefighters managed to get it 20% contained. California power authorities are urging people to conserve energy Monday to try to avoid outages, with many parts of the state and neighboring Nevada under excessive heat warnings. The National Weather Service said Death Valley, California, reached a high temperature of 53 degrees Celsius on Sunday and was expected to nearly match that again Monday. Farther north, officials in the western Canadian state of British Columbia said more than 300 active fires are now burning there, an increase of 36 in two days. Some information for this report came from the Associated Press and Reuters. 
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The head of Haiti’s national police said Sunday authorities arrested a Haitian man who flew to the country on a private jet in June and — according to police — worked with the masterminds and alleged killers of President Jovenel Moïse. Police Chief Léon Charles identified the man as Christian Emmanuel Sanon and said he traveled to Haiti with political objectives. Charles said Sanon was accompanied by hired security guards who had an initial mission of protecting Sanon, but who were then tasked with arresting Moïse. The police chief also said that after Moïse’s assassination last week, one of the suspected attackers called Sanon, and that Sanon called two yet-unnamed people whom police consider masterminds of the killing.Police security is seen during the Haiti’s interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph news conference in Port-au-Prince, July 12, 2021.Charles said police have arrested 18 Colombians and 3 Haitians in connection with the attack, and that at least five other people were believed to still be at large. He said after interrogations of those in custody, police believe at least some of the suspects were hired by Miami-based company CTU Security. Moïse was shot to death at his home in Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital, early Wednesday. His wife, Martine Moïse, was seriously wounded in the attack and taken to Miami for treatment. The United States on Sunday sent a technical team to Haiti to assess its security and other needs. The team includes personnel from the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The United States earlier rejected Haiti’s request for troops to quell sporadic violence linked to the assassination. The Biden administration official said the U.S. would also consult with its regional partners on the Haitian turmoil and the United Nations.  Some information for this report came from the Associated Press, AFP and Reuters.  
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Gangs in Haiti have long been financed by powerful politicians and their allies — and many Haitians fear those backers may be losing control of the increasingly powerful armed groups who have driven thousands of people from their homes as they battle over territory, kill civilians and raid warehouses of food.The escalation in gang violence threatens to complicate — and be aggravated by — political efforts to recover from last week’s brazen slaying of President Jovenel Moïse. Haiti’s government is in disarray: no parliament, no president, a dispute over who is prime minister, a weak police force. But the gangs seem more organized and powerful than ever.While the violence has been centered in the capital of Port-au-Prince, it has affected life across Haiti, paralyzing the fragile economy, shuttering schools, overwhelming police and disrupting efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.”The country is transformed into a vast desert where wild animals engulf us,” said the Haitian Conference of the Religious in a recent statement about the spike in violent crime. “We are refugees and exiles in our own country.”Gangs recently have stolen tens of thousands of bags of sugar, rice and flour and ransacked and burned homes in the capital. That has driven thousands of people to seek shelter at churches, outdoor fields and a large gymnasium, where the government and international donors struggle to feed them and find long-term housing.Those included dozens of disabled people who fled last month when gangs set fire to the encampment where they settled after the catastrophic 2010 earthquake.”I was running for my life in the camp on these crutches,” said 44-year-old Obas Woylky, who lost a leg in the quake. “Bullets were flying from different directions. … All I was able to see was fire in the homes.”He was among more than 350 people crammed into a school converted into a shelter where hardly anyone wore face masks against coronavirus.Experts say the violence is the worst they’ve seen since in roughly two decades — since before the creation of a second U.N. peacekeeping mission in 2004.Programs aimed at reducing gang activity and an influx of aid following the earthquake helped, but once that money dried up and aid programs shut down, gangs turned to kidnappings and extortion from businesses and neighborhoods they control.Gangs are in part funded by powerful politicians, a practice recently denounced even by one of its reputed beneficiaries — Jimmy Cherizier, a former police officer who heads a gang coalition known as G9 Family and Allies.He complained that the country is being held hostage by people he did not identify: “They reign supreme everywhere, distribute weapons to the populous quarters, playing the division card to establish their domination.”Cherizier, known as Barbecue, has been linked to several massacres, and his coalition is believed to be allied with Moïse’s right-wing party. He criticized those he called “bourgeois” and “exploiters,” adding: “We will use our weapons against them in favor of the Haitian people. … We’re ready for war!”Cherizier held a news conference Saturday and called Moïse’s killing “cowardly and villainous,” saying that while many disagreed with him, “no one wanted this tragic outcome that will worsen the crisis and amplify political instability.”He also issued a veiled warning: “We invite all those who are trying to take advantage of this coup to think carefully, to consider whether they have in their hands the appropriate solution to the country’s problems.”Cherizier added that he and others will demand justice for Moïse: “We are just now warming up.”G9 is one of at least 30 gangs that authorities believe control nearly half of Port-au-Prince. Their names range from “5 Seconds” — for how long it allegedly takes them to commit a crime — to “400 Mawozo” — which roughly translated means 400 lame men.The epicenter of the recent gang violence is Martissant, a community in southern Port-au-Prince whose main road connects the capital to southern Haiti. Drivers’ fear of being caught in a crossfire or worse has almost paralyzed commercial connections between the two regions, driving up prices, delaying the transportation of food and fuel and forcing international organizations to cancel programs including the distribution of cash to more than 30,000 people, according to a July 1 report by the U.N.’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.The agency said more than 1 million people need immediate humanitarian assistance and protection.”Newly displaced people seek refuge in shelters every day,” it said, adding that hygiene there was appalling. Authorities worry about a spike in COVID-19 cases in a country that has yet to give a single vaccine.The overall economy doesn’t help. The U.N. said the cost of a basic food basket rose by 13% in May compared with February, and that foreign direct investment fell by more than 70% from 2018 to 2020, dropping from $105 million to $30 million. That translates into fewer jobs and increased poverty in a country where 60% of the population makes less than $2 a day and 25% makes less than $1 a day.Haiti’s elections minister, Mathias Pierre, said Saturday that those backing the gangs may want to disrupt elections that are scheduled for September and November and are crucial to restoring functional legislative and executive branches now largely moribund.  He said that wouldn’t work, noting that countries have held elections during wars. “We need to organize elections. …They need to back off.”Haiti’s Office of the Protection of Citizens, a sort of ombudsman agency, has urged the international community to help Haiti’s National Police, which it said was “unable to respond effectively to the gangsterization of the country.”Pierre said that lack of resources and weakness of Haiti’s police led the government to ask the United States and United Nations to send troops to help maintain order following Moïse’s killing: “We have a responsibility to avoid chaos.”Officials say they have been trying to boost the budget and manpower of a police force that now has about 9,000 operational officers for a country of more than 11 million people. Experts say it needs at least 30,000 officers to maintain control.The government also is trying to figure out where to put people who have fled their homes because of the violence, such as 43-year-old Marjorie Benoit, her husband and their three children.Benoit, who lost an arm in the earthquake, said they fled as gunfire crackled around their neighborhood. She now also has lost her home and all their belongings.”We have been uprooted,” she said, “and we don’t know where to start.” 
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