Dina Stars, a well-known YouTuber in Cuba, was arrested Tuesday by Cuban security forces during a live interview with a Spanish television network presenter.
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\nDina Stars, a well-known YouTuber in Cuba, was arrested Tuesday by Cuban security forces during a live interview with a Spanish television network presenter. Stars has been a prominent critic of the regime in Cuba, and was speaking on \u201c Todo Es Mentira,\u201d a Spanish TV news show, when security forces came to her home. \u201cState security is outside,\u201d Stars informed host Marta Flinch after signaling that something was wrong. \u201cI have to go outside.\u201d Stars has been uploading videos of the protests onto her YouTube channel, in which she has been highly critical of the nation\u2019s leaders. After leaving to speak with the officers at her door, Stars returns to inform the program that she is being taken to police headquarters. \u201cI hold the government responsible for anything that may happen to me,\u201d Stars told the program\u2019s host. \u201cI have to go. They told me to accompany them.\u201d Stars is just one of approximately 148 people who have been detained or disappeared after a large wave of protests swept across dozens of Cuban cities Sunday, according to Cubalex, a U.S.-based non-profit group that works to restore democracy and the rule of law in Cuba. \u201cThey don\u2019t want anyone to tell the world what is happening. They\u2019ve cut off the internet,\u201d Cubalex wrote in a tweet Tuesday. A majority of those arrested were taken during the protests over the weekend, but some, including Stars, were picked up later at their homes, according to NPR. \u201cIt is really hard to know and verify what is happening now because of the internet blackouts,\u201d Louise Tillotson, a Caribbean Researcher at Amnesty International, said to NPR. Tillotson also noted how little information is available regarding the status of those taken into custody, saying that \u201cwe don\u2019t know if these people will be charged, what they will be charged with, or if they will be let go.\u201d The anti-government protests in Cuba were sparked by food and medicine shortages. The demonstrations have also focused in large part on the oppressive nature of the communist regime.<\/p>\n