Professor and Cuban intellectual Alina Bárbara López has taken to social media and the Civic Thought Laboratory Cuba x Cuba to denounce her brutal arrest at the hands of regime enforcers.
In a detailed account shared on the Youtube channel of CubaxCuba, López describes the severity of the incident, highlighting its unexpected nature. “What you will hear is very serious, things that years ago I would not have believed myself,” she stated. She apologized to those who have suffered similarly without proper support.
The Cuban historian explained that she and her colleague, Jenny Pantoja Torres, were both violently assaulted, resulting in lasting effects for her.
“As a result of the blows to my head and neck twists, I am now suffering from post-traumatic labyrinthitis, an inflammation of the inner ear area that regulates balance. It should subside within three months. It causes unpleasant dizziness with sudden movements. Emotionally and psychologically, I am the same as always,” she assured.
In the audio, López stated that, as is customary in her arrests, there was no police order justifying it. One officer was particularly aggressive, using a ‘sweeping’ technique unexpectedly.
“I fell backward and could not avoid the hit because I did not expect such an exaggerated reaction. I was just talking. When I fell, I hit my head very hard. If I had hit the road, I would have fractured my skull, but it was on the gravel, which somewhat cushioned the blow,” López recounted.
The intellectual added that the impact caused her vision to blur, and she felt a ‘taste of blood in her throat.’ While she did not bleed, she sensed internal damage.
When she could not get up due to dizziness, two officers dragged her to the patrol car, during which she ripped a police insignia off an officer’s uniform. “That is one of the charges for ‘assault’ because I tore it off,” she noted.
Alina Bárbara López Hernández was formally charged with ‘assault’ after the arrest, according to posts on social media reporting the incident.
López admitted to suffering further mistreatment inside the patrol car, where her colleague also faced abuse. “Jenny was beaten, transferred to another car, had her phone confiscated, and slapped by a male patrol officer for turning it off before handing it over. They separated us, and we never saw each other again during the ordeal,” López recounted.
She concluded,
“We are telling the truth. We were savagely and sadistically assaulted without justification. They simply do not want us to exercise our rights.”
López and Pantoja were arrested near the Bacunayagua Bridge in Matanzas on Tuesday, while en route to Havana for a peaceful protest against the regime.
Read the full article in English on adncuba.com, using Google Translate.
Follow Us:
🎥 Instagram: @tldr_cuba
📹 TikTok: @tldr_cuba