Sánchez said Sunday that an alleged police officer was preventing her from leaving her Havana home, describing the encounter as a violation of her rights and posting details in a video she shared on Facebook. She said the officer was dressed in civilian clothes and was present in the lower levels of her building, where she encountered him, confronted him, and said he covered his face. She also said two women who do not live in her building were roaming around since the officer arrived.
Sánchez said the officer did not identify himself and appeared afraid of being seen. She said she asked him why he would not let her leave despite, as she described it, not being judged in court, not having a restraining order, and not being under house arrest.
In her account, the confrontation focused on her status and whether any legal restrictions applied to her. She said she was a citizen who had not committed crimes and was not subject to court judgment, restraining order, or house arrest, and she questioned why he still would not let her leave.
Sánchez also linked the claim to broader unrest on the island, saying it came amid protests in Morón. She said a group in that city partially destroyed the local headquarters of Cuba’s ruling Communist Party as the country faces energy blackouts and food shortages.
The activist said the encounter unfolded in the same period as those protests, and she presented the incident as part of an ongoing pattern of state pressure. She said she had previously reported being detained in January by agents wearing badges of Cuba’s Department of State Security while she was heading to a reception at the residence of the chief of mission of the United States.
“This is in the lower levels of my building and I have come across this civilian dressed in plain clothes who has not identified himself, has his face covered, seems very afraid of being seen, and claims that he will not let me leave,” Sánchez said in the AP report of her comments. She added, “I am a citizen who has not committed any crimes, is not being judged in a court, does not have a restraining order or house arrest. So, why won’t you let me leave?”