Death of young black man allegedly by police shots is shocking Cuba

The death of a young black man in Havana this week, allegedly by police shots and under unclear circumstances, is shocking Cubans, while Cuban authorities and state media remain silent about the incident.

The young man’s death, which took place in the neighborhood of Guanaboca, on the outskirts of Havana, was reported by family members through the social network Facebook, who published a photograph of the victim, the body’s face and some details of what happened.

The dead young man, identified as Hansel Ernesto Hernández Galiano, was 26 years old and was allegedly killed while trying to escape from the police, who fired several shots, although further details on what really happened are not known.

The family says the young man was not armed.

Spanish agency EFE writes that such incidents are rare in Cuba, where police action regulations strictly prohibit police officers from using firearms, except in exceptional cases, such as the risk of physical integrity.

The lack of official explanations is fueling the indignation and many Cubans started on Friday to organize, through social networks, a demonstration for next Tuesday.

However, in Cuba, demonstrations must be authorized by the authorities and independent protests by civil society are rarely allowed.

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