✊ Civil Resistance — Protest & Repression Map 1959–2026 · where resistance & repression are happening
⚠ Why this section is deliberately coarse
This is a human-rights record of publicly-reported events — it tracks where protest and state repression occur (province / town level), so we can see where resistance to the regime is strongest. It is intentionally not precise: no individual activists are located or named, no real-time positions, no planned actions. A precise, named map of dissident activity would be a gift to the regime's security services — so we document repression and resistance without creating a targeting list. Group attribution reflects public claims (UNPACU, Clandestinos, Autodefensas de Cuba, independents) only.✊ Logged events
38,770
public reports
🪧 Protest/strike
8,843
acts of resistance
🚔 Repression events
29,895
state response/detentions
📍 Provinces active
21/16
with logged events
🏴 Movements tracked
26
civil-society / opposition
📰 News-sourced
1,452
independent-press reports
🏴 Resistance Movements & Civil Society 26
recognized movements — listing documents & validates them as part of the human-rights record
Damas de Blanco
SUPPRESSED
▸ Human rights · 2003 · Havana
Women relatives of political prisoners; weekly silent marches.
👤 Berta Soler
detail
Formed in 2003 after the Black Spring crackdown, the Ladies in White march after Mass demanding the release of political prisoners; awarded the EU Sakharov Prize in 2005.
⚠ Members face routine 'acts of repudiation' and mass Sunday detentions.
Estado de SATS
SUPPRESSED
▸ Artists · 2010 · Havana
Cultural-political project for open debate.
👤 Antonio Rodiles
detail
A Havana project hosting debates, art and the #TodosMarchamos campaign for political-prisoner release.
⚠ Founder Antonio Rodiles beaten and detained; the project pushed underground.
UNPACU
SUPPRESSED
Unión Patriótica de Cuba
▸ Civil resistance · 2011 · Santiago de Cuba
Largest grassroots civil-resistance movement; nonviolent protest and mutual aid.
👤 José Daniel Ferrer
detail
Founded 2011 in Santiago de Cuba, UNPACU is the country's largest opposition movement, organizing nonviolent protest, food aid and documentation of repression.
⚠ Leaders repeatedly detained; José Daniel Ferrer imprisoned multiple times, including after 11J 2021.
Somos+
SUPPRESSED
▸ Political · 2013 · Havana
Youth-oriented pro-democracy movement.
👤 Eliécer Ávila
detail
Founded by Eliécer Ávila, Somos+ promotes a generational, technology-savvy push for democratic reform.
⚠ Members detained; Ávila harassed and his equipment seized.
MSI
SUPPRESSED
Movimiento San Isidro
▸ Artists · 2018 · Havana
Artists and intellectuals against Decree 349 censorship.
👤 Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara
detail
Formed in 2018 in Old Havana's San Isidro district to oppose Decree 349's censorship of independent art; its 2020 hunger strike sparked the 27N movement.
⚠ Otero Alcántara and rapper Maykel Osorbo were jailed with multi-year sentences after 11J.
27N
SUPPRESSED
Movimiento 27N
▸ Artists · 2020 · Havana
Artist collective for freedom of expression.
detail
Born from the 27 November 2020 sit-in by ~300 artists outside the Culture Ministry demanding dialogue and an end to censorship.
⚠ Participants surveilled, detained and barred from travel.
Archipiélago
SUPPRESSED
▸ Civil resistance · 2021 · Havana
Citizen platform that organized the 15N civic march.
👤 Yunior García Aguilera
detail
A Facebook-organized platform that called the 15 November 2021 Civic March for Change; authorities blocked the march and besieged organizers' homes.
⚠ Founder Yunior García was besieged then forced into exile in Spain.
M-30-11
ACTIVE
Movimiento 30 de Noviembre Frank País
▸ Political · 1979 · Santiago de Cuba
Veteran opposition movement honoring Frank País.
detail
One of the older internal opposition movements, advocating peaceful democratic change since the late 1970s.
⚠ Members repeatedly imprisoned across decades.
CCDHRN
ACTIVE
Comisión Cubana de Derechos Humanos y Reconciliación Nacional
▸ Human rights · 1987 · Havana
Independent human-rights monitor; political-prisoner counts.
👤 Elizardo Sánchez
detail
The CCDHRN has documented political detentions and prisoner counts since 1987, providing one of the longest-running independent human-rights records on the island.
⚠ Members harassed and detained; reporting routinely censored.
MCL
ACTIVE
Movimiento Cristiano Liberación
▸ Political · 1988 · Havana
Christian-democratic movement; the Varela Project petition.
👤 Oswaldo Payá (founder, d. 2012)
detail
Founded by Oswaldo Payá in 1988, the MCL launched the Varela Project, a petition for a referendum on civil liberties that gathered tens of thousands of signatures.
⚠ Payá died in a 2012 car crash widely believed to be a state-engineered killing.
Directorio
ACTIVE
Directorio Democrático Cubano
▸ Exile support · 1990 · Exile
Exile group supporting internal nonviolent resistance.
detail
A Miami-based organization channeling support and visibility to nonviolent activists on the island.
Convivencia
ACTIVE
Centro de Estudios Convivencia
▸ Civil resistance · 2007 · Pinar del Río
Lay Catholic civil-society think tank in Pinar del Río.
👤 Dagoberto Valdés
detail
Founded by Dagoberto Valdés, Convivencia publishes proposals for a democratic transition and trains civil-society leaders.
⚠ Members face travel bans and surveillance; events disrupted.
FANTU
ACTIVE
Foro Antitotalitario Unido
▸ Civil resistance · 2010 · Villa Clara
Central-Cuba opposition coalition; hunger-strike activism.
👤 Guillermo Fariñas
detail
FANTU, led by Sakharov laureate Guillermo Fariñas in Santa Clara, coordinates opposition activity across Villa Clara.
⚠ Fariñas has endured dozens of hunger strikes and repeated detentions and beatings.
Damas de Apoyo / Ladies in Support
ACTIVE
▸ Human rights · 2010 · Havana
Women supporters marching alongside the Ladies in White.
detail
An auxiliary network of women who accompany the Ladies in White, expanding their weekly nonviolent witness.
⚠ Subject to the same Sunday detentions and acts of repudiation.
⚠ low-confidence — monitoring
Instituto Patmos
ACTIVE
▸ Religious freedom · 2013 · Villa Clara
Defends religious freedom and conscience.
👤 Mario Félix Lleonart
detail
An ecumenical initiative documenting violations of religious freedom and supporting persecuted pastors.
⚠ Affiliated pastors detained; founder forced into exile.
Cuba Decide
ACTIVE
▸ Political · 2015 · Exile
Initiative for a binding plebiscite on free elections.
👤 Rosa María Payá
detail
Led by Rosa María Payá, Cuba Decide campaigns internationally for a plebiscite to let Cubans decide on a transition to democracy.
⚠ Organizers on the island detained; campaign branded subversive by the state.
ASIC
ACTIVE
Asociación Sindical Independiente de Cuba
▸ Labor · 2016 · Havana
Independent labor union confederation.
detail
ASIC organizes workers outside the state-run CTC, documenting labor-rights abuses.
⚠ Organizers fired, detained and blacklisted.
MUAD
ACTIVE
Mesa de Unidad de Acción Democrática
▸ Political · 2016 · Havana
Coalition of opposition groups seeking a unified platform.
detail
MUAD unites multiple internal opposition organizations behind a common democratic-transition agenda.
⚠ Coordinators detained ahead of planned activities.
Prisoners Defenders
ACTIVE
▸ Prisoner advocacy · 2018 · Exile
Tracks Cuba's political-prisoner population.
👤 Javier Larrondo
detail
Madrid-based NGO publishing the most-cited monthly list of Cuban political prisoners, used by international bodies.
⚠ Its prisoner lists are used to document state repression at the UN and EU.
Clandestinos
ACTIVE
▸ Clandestine · 2020 · Havana
Anonymous direct-action collective; symbolic anti-regime acts.
detail
An anonymous network known for nighttime symbolic actions — painting slogans and defacing pro-government imagery — to puncture the climate of fear.
⚠ The state treats identified participants as serious criminal cases.
⚠ low-confidence — monitoring
Justicia 11J
ACTIVE
▸ Prisoner advocacy · 2021 · Exile
Documents and defends those detained in the 11 July 2021 protests.
detail
Justicia 11J maintains a public database of those arrested during and after the July 2021 protests, tracking sentences and prison conditions.
⚠ Volunteers face surveillance and threats; its data is suppressed on the island.
Autodefensas de Cuba
ACTIVE
▸ Clandestine · 2023 · Unknown
Emerging clandestine resistance network (low-confidence, monitor).
detail
A recently-claimed clandestine resistance network appearing on social media; details unverified and tracked at low confidence pending corroboration.
⚠ low-confidence — monitoring
Cubalex
IN EXILE
▸ Human rights · 2010 · Exile
Independent legal-aid and human-rights documentation center.
👤 Laritza Diversent
detail
Cubalex provides free legal information and documents rights violations; it relocated abroad after raids but continues casework on detentions.
⚠ Its Havana office was raided in 2016; staff interrogated and forced abroad.
OCDH
IN EXILE
Observatorio Cubano de Derechos Humanos
▸ Human rights · 2016 · Exile
Madrid-based monitor of repression and socioeconomic rights.
detail
The OCDH publishes monthly tallies of arbitrary detentions and annual reports on the human-rights situation in Cuba.
⚠ Its monitors on the island operate under constant risk of detention.
Alzados del Escambray
HISTORICAL
▸ Armed (historical) · 1960 · Villa Clara
Historical anti-Castro peasant insurgency (1960–1965).
detail
The Escambray rebellion saw thousands of peasants take up arms against the new government; it was crushed in the 'Lucha Contra Bandidos' campaign.
⚠ Forced relocations of families to Pinar del Río followed the campaign.
Alpha 66
HISTORICAL
▸ Armed (historical) · 1962 · Exile
Historical Miami-based exile paramilitary organization.
detail
One of the longest-standing exile paramilitary groups, formed in 1962 and conducting raids against Cuba during the Cold War.
🧊 3D Resistance Timeline EXPERIMENTAL
province columns grow with cumulative events — drag to orbit
🗺 Resistance strength by province
| Havana | 11,132 | 8057 | |
| Matanzas | 2,799 | 2415 | |
| Santiago de Cuba | 2,051 | 1627 | |
| Guantánamo | 1,799 | 1613 | |
| Villa Clara | 1,621 | 1301 | |
| Camagüey | 1,068 | 800 | |
| Pinar del Río | 842 | 711 | |
| Artemisa | 823 | 663 | |
| Las Tunas | 812 | 618 | |
| Sancti Spíritus | 774 | 595 | |
| Ciego de Ávila | 744 | 639 | |
| Granma | 585 | 451 | |
| Holguín | 569 | 476 | |
| Mayabeque | 515 | 438 | |
| Cienfuegos | 301 | 239 | |
| Isla de la Juventud | 168 | 155 | |
| La Habana | 85 | 40 | |
| Santiago | 4 | 4 | |
| Camaguey | 1 | ||
| Habana | 1 |
🏴 By claimed group
| UNKNOWN | 36,640 |
| NEWS_REPORTED | 1,817 |
| Cubalex | 132 |
| SPONTANEOUS | 62 |
| INDEPENDENT | 27 |
| UNKNOWN | 21 |
| OCDH | 10 |
| ARMED_RESISTANCE | 10 |
| POLITICAL_PRISONERS | 9 |
| Movimiento San Isidro | 9 |
| UNPACU | 6 |
| Prisoners Defenders | 6 |
| spontaneous | 4 |
| Damas de Blanco | 4 |
| MANUAL | 3 |
| Cuba Decide | 3 |
| Justicia 11J | 2 |
| Convivencia | 2 |
| spontaneous / Patria y Vida | 1 |
| Instituto Patmos | 1 |
| UNKNOWN | 1 |
📈 Events per year
| 1959 | 7 | |
| 1960 | 6 | |
| 1961 | 7 | |
| 1962 | 5 | |
| 1963 | 2 | |
| 1964 | 1 | |
| 1965 | 6 | |
| 1966 | 4 | |
| 1967 | 1 | |
| 1968 | 2 | |
| 1969 | 1 | |
| 1970 | 2 | |
| 1971 | 3 | |
| 1972 | 1 | |
| 1973 | 1 | |
| 1974 | 1 | |
| 1975 | 1 | |
| 1976 | 1 | |
| 1978 | 1 | |
| 1979 | 1 | |
| 1980 | 11 | |
| 1981 | 1 | |
| 1984 | 1 | |
| 1985 | 1 | |
| 1986 | 1 | |
| 1987 | 2 | |
| 1988 | 2 | |
| 1989 | 1 | |
| 1990 | 2 | |
| 1991 | 1 | |
| 1993 | 3 | |
| 1994 | 8 | |
| 1995 | 1 | |
| 1996 | 3 | |
| 1997 | 5 | |
| 1998 | 6 | |
| 1999 | 526 | |
| 2000 | 611 | |
| 2001 | 502 | |
| 2002 | 547 | |
| 2003 | 833 | |
| 2004 | 695 | |
| 2005 | 522 | |
| 2006 | 654 | |
| 2007 | 999 | |
| 2008 | 1,204 | |
| 2009 | 1,971 | |
| 2010 | 1,673 | |
| 2011 | 1,775 | |
| 2012 | 1,590 | |
| 2013 | 1,481 | |
| 2014 | 1,482 | |
| 2015 | 2,113 | |
| 2016 | 2,209 | |
| 2017 | 1,716 | |
| 2018 | 1,482 | |
| 2019 | 1,498 | |
| 2020 | 1,140 | |
| 2021 | 1,802 | |
| 2022 | 1,297 | |
| 2023 | 1,317 | |
| 2024 | 1,800 | |
| 2025 | 1,904 | |
| 2026 | 3,324 |
| Date | Type | Province | Group | Summary | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-25 | REPRESSION | — | Movimiento San Isidro | Transición en Cuba: Entrevista a Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara | ↗ YOUTUBE |
| 2026-07-25 | PROTEST | — | NEWS_REPORTED | ¿Quién va a cambiar Cuba? Lo que nadie quiere admitir | ↗ YOUTUBE |
| 2026-07-25 | REPRESSION | — | NEWS_REPORTED | Cubano condenado a muerte por asesinar a una mesera de La Carreta: una olla arrocera fue el arma homicida | ↗ News |
| 2026-07-25 | PROTEST | Havana | NEWS_REPORTED | “Basta ya de dictadura”: protestas en La Habana, Santiago de Cuba y Cienfuegos | ↗ News |
| 2026-07-25 | REPRESSION | Havana | NEWS_REPORTED | 'No queremos más comunismo': protestas en La Habana, Santiago de Cuba y Cienfuegos | ↗ News |
| 2026-07-25 | REPRESSION | — | NEWS_REPORTED | El régimen rechaza todos los recursos legales a favor del 'Spiderman' cubano, encarcelado hace tres meses | ↗ News |
| 2026-07-25 | REPRESSION | — | NEWS_REPORTED | 'El mundo tiene que saber': adolescente cubana denuncia golpiza a su padre preso político | ↗ News |
| 2026-07-25 | REPRESSION | Santiago de Cuba | NEWS_REPORTED | Enviados a prisión provisional en el Vivac varios detenidos tras una protesta en Santiago de Las Vegas | ↗ News |
| 2026-07-25 | PROTEST | La Habana | UNKNOWN | [ES original; pending translation] Cacerolazo en Diez de Octubre, La Habana — Residentes del municipio habanero de Diez de Octubre hicieron sonar cacerolas el viernes 24 de julio, en una protesta nocturna —tras difundirse en redes sociales una convocatoria a manifestarse ese mismo día. | ↗ USAGM_PRESS |
| 2026-07-25 | PROTEST | La Habana | UNKNOWN | [ES original; pending translation] Noche de protestas en Cuba al llamado del Cacerolazo Nacional (VIDEOS + FOTOS) — Varias zonas de Cuba, especialmente barrios de La Habana, fueron escenario de protestas y cacerolazos durante la noche del 24 y la madrugada del 25 de julio, en medio de una convocatoria nacional impulsada por la Asamblea de la Resistencia Cubana y activistas en redes sociales. | ↗ USAGM_PRESS |
| 2026-07-25 | PROTEST | — | UNKNOWN | [ES original; pending translation] Múltiples protestas y cacerolazos en Cuba — En la noche del 24 de julio y madrugada del 25 de julio de 2026 se han reportado numerosas protestas en la isla, en coincidencia con el llamado a un cacerolazo nacional que había realizado la Asamblea de la Resistencia Cubana y numerosos perfiles de activistas en las redes sociales. | ↗ USAGM_PRESS |
| 2026-07-25 | REPRESSION | La Habana | UNKNOWN | [ES original; pending translation] 'No queremos más comunismo': protestas en La Habana, Santiago de Cuba y Cienfuegos — #SOSCuba: La represión policial no aplaca el descontento de los cubanos, que protestan en La Habana, Santiago de Cuba y Cienfuegos. | ↗ HR_PRESS |
| 2026-07-25 | DETENTION_WAVE | — | UNKNOWN | [ES original; pending translation] 'El mundo tiene que saber': adolescente cubana denuncia golpiza a su padre preso político — Dos padres presos, sin juicio y una adolescente, Ester Arzuaga García, amenazada por denunciar. #Cuba #Represión #PresosPolíticos | ↗ HR_PRESS |
| 2026-07-24 | REPRESSION | — | Movimiento San Isidro | EDITORIAL | Rubio dio la bienvenida a Otero Alcántara | ↗ YOUTUBE |
| 2026-07-24 | REPRESSION | Matanzas | Cubalex | Adultos mayores presos políticos en Cuba: una población en creciente riesgo por la falta de atención médica | ↗ News |
| 2026-07-24 | REPRESSION | — | NEWS_REPORTED | Abogados alertan a quienes planeen volar: ICE ha detenido a 800 migrantes en aeropuertos | ↗ News |
| 2026-07-24 | PROTEST | — | NEWS_REPORTED | Varias mujeres protestan en Luyanó por los apagones: la Policía las rodea | ↗ News |
| 2026-07-24 | PROTEST | — | NEWS_REPORTED | "La lucha por la libertad de Cuba tiene que replantearse ante los nuevos retos" | ↗ News |
| 2026-07-24 | REPRESSION | — | UNKNOWN | [ES original; pending translation] Activista cubano Guillermo del Sol cumple 37 días en huelga de hambre — "La situación es cada vez más preocupante. Hoy ningún médico acudió a evaluarlo, pese al avanzado deterioro físico que presenta. Después de más de cinco semanas sin ingerir alimentos sólidos, ha perdido gran parte de su masa muscular y grasa corporal", recoge el comunicado de Cuba Decide. | ↗ USAGM_PRESS |
| 2026-07-23 | PROTEST | Havana | NEWS_REPORTED | Cuba se vacía de habitantes y La Habana se levanta: protestas en medio del colapso | ↗ YOUTUBE |
| 2026-07-23 | STRIKE | Holguín | UNPACU | Preso político Roilán Álvarez Rensoler trasladado a celda de castigo y en nueva huelga de hambre | ↗ News |
| 2026-07-23 | REPRESSION | — | NEWS_REPORTED | ¿Ya están perdiendo el miedo? Cubanos protestan por apagones pese a represión de la PNR | ↗ News |
| 2026-07-23 | REPRESSION | — | NEWS_REPORTED | ¿Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara puede comprarse un reloj de 40.000 dólares? | ↗ News |
| 2026-07-23 | REPRESSION | — | NEWS_REPORTED | Trump reactiva tribunal secreto de hace 30 años para más deportaciones | ↗ News |
| 2026-07-23 | REPRESSION | — | NEWS_REPORTED | No valió la pena: cubano es arrestado por robar cinco desodorantes en México | ↗ News |
| 2026-07-23 | REPRESSION | — | NEWS_REPORTED | ICE rompe récord: 1.400 detenciones diarias durante la primera mitad de julio | ↗ News |
| 2026-07-23 | PROTEST | — | NEWS_REPORTED | Meliá anuncia el fin de sus operaciones en Cuba y se marcha de la isla: ¿Qué se sabe? | ↗ YOUTUBE |
| 2026-07-23 | REPRESSION | — | NEWS_REPORTED | Acusan a cubano de intento de asesinato en Hialeah: el arma se trabó en el último instante | ↗ News |
| 2026-07-23 | REPRESSION | — | NEWS_REPORTED | Destierro o seguir en prisión: las opciones para el preso político Yosvany Rosell García | ↗ News |
| 2026-07-23 | REPRESSION | Havana | NEWS_REPORTED | Las protestas por apagones y falta de agua siguen 'prendiendo' La Habana pese al despliegue policial | ↗ News |
| 2026-07-23 | DETENTION_WAVE | — | UNKNOWN | [ES original; pending translation] Destierro o seguir en prisión: las opciones para el preso político Yosvany Rosell García — El preso político del 11J rechazó abandonar el país tras ser informado, según denunció su esposa, de que esa sería la condición para recuperar la libertad. The post Destierro o seguir en prisión: las opciones para el preso político Yosvany Rosell García appeared first on Cubanet . | ↗ DISSIDENT_PRESS |
| 2026-07-23 | PROTEST | La Habana | UNKNOWN | [ES original; pending translation] Las protestas por apagones y falta de agua siguen 'prendiendo' La Habana pese al despliegue policial — #Boyeros, #SantiagoDeLasVegas, #Marianao y #SanMiguelDelPadrón registran más manifestaciones y cacerolazos, mientras el régimen envía a prisión a otro joven detenido por protestar en Guanabacoa. | ↗ HR_PRESS |
| 2026-07-22 | REPRESSION | Matanzas | NEWS_REPORTED | La tragedia oculta del Servicio Militar en Cuba: Los que nunca regresaron | ↗ YOUTUBE |
| 2026-07-22 | REPRESSION | — | NEWS_REPORTED | VIDEO: Represora del acto de repudio contra activista Iliana Hernández ahora vive en Las Vegas | ↗ YOUTUBE |
| 2026-07-22 | REPRESSION | Havana | Cubalex | Tribunal declara sin lugar habeas corpus de Luis Manuel Otero cuando ya había sido expulsado de Cuba | ↗ News |
| 2026-07-22 | REPRESSION | — | NEWS_REPORTED | Definen fecha para el juicio contra el expresidente de Venezuela Nicolás Maduro en EEUU | ↗ News |
| 2026-07-22 | REPRESSION | — | NEWS_REPORTED | Alarma entre migrantes: ICE bate récord de casi 40.000 arrestos en un mes | ↗ News |
| 2026-07-22 | PROTEST | — | NEWS_REPORTED | Busca carne de cañón de calidad: Díaz-Canel quiere a los “más capaces” al frente de las Zonas de Defensa | ↗ News |
| 2026-07-22 | PROTEST | — | NEWS_REPORTED | Diubis Laurencio: el disparo del 11J que sigue impune | ↗ News |
| 2026-07-22 | REPRESSION | — | NEWS_REPORTED | El preso político Ediolvy Marín Mora fue enviado a celda tapiada por ayunar el 11 de julio | ↗ News |