Cuban Police Arrest Regime Critic During Live Interview

Cuban police arrested a YouTuber and critic of the communist regime at her home while she was interviewed by a Spanish news station.

Dina Stars, a Cuban YouTube blogger who has documented this week’s protests against the regime, was discussing the crisis Tuesday during a live remote panel hosted by Spanish television program Todo es Mentira. Midway through the interview, Stars interjected in Spanish, “State security is outside. … I have to go outside.”

Stars then left the room to speak to the police as the program’s hosts reacted in disbelief. “They’re going to arrest her live on TV,” one said.

https://twitter.com/GiancarloSopo/status/1414982990422286346

Stars returned to the camera moments later to tell the panel that Cuban authorities were taking her to police headquarters. “I will hold the government responsible for what may happen to me,” Stars said. “I have to go now.”

Video taken by one of Stars’s friends showed Cuban police escort her to the back of a police car before driving away.

https://twitter.com/GiancarloSopo/status/1414984891285004292

Stars had been outspoken against the communist regime’s crackdown on protests prior to her arrest, sharing on social media videos from demonstrations and a list of protesters who have disappeared or been arrested by Cuban security forces.

The Cuban regime has clamped down on protests that have swept the country since Sunday. Demonstrators took to the streets in protest of the island nation’s continued power outages, food shortages, and scarcity of vaccines, calling for an end to the 62-year-old communist regime. The government has responded by arresting dozens of protesters and restricting access to social media sites.