Madrid/The Cuban opposition Manuel Cuesta Morúapresident of the Council for the Democratic Transition in Cuba (CTDC), was arrested this Saturday by State Security agents and police officers, according to what he reported. the organization on your official profile.
So far, the authorities have not reported his whereabouts and Cuesta Morúa remains incommunicado. His family and friends have also not received any official notification about his situation, which is why the CTDC reports a forced disappearance.
Since this Friday, Cuesta Morúa and fellow opposition member and CTDC member María Mercedes Benítez remained under siege by police officers in their home, as reported by the platform in a post with images that confirmed the fact. A recorded video The opponent himself denounces the attempted arrest at his home, which he resisted because he considered it illegal. The agents demanded that he leave the house to arrest him, without presenting him with an official warrant.
This Saturday morning, the opposition leader was summoned to the Zanja police unit, in Central Havana, through a phone call from a Criminal Investigation officer identified as First Lieutenant Lázaro Aroche.
Cuesta Morúa attended the meeting accompanied by Mercedes Benítez. According to the information published by the CTDC, both were received by five police officers and two State Security agents. The opponent was handcuffed and forced into a police vehicle. “During the arrest, violence was used to get him into the patrol car,” the publication states.
A police officer told her “not to be funny” and threatened to send her to prison.
Mercedes Benítez then protested publicly and claimed that Cuesta Morúa was not a criminal, but a peaceful opponent and defender of human rights. According to the complaint, a police officer told her “not to be funny” and threatened to send her to prison. Benítez was subsequently forced to return to the police station to register her personal information.
The opposition member told the police that Cuesta Morúa has no criminal cases and that both he and she are known for their peaceful civic and political activity. Despite his questions, the authorities did not inform him of the exact place where the opposition leader was being transferred.
The organization does not know the whereabouts of the opponent, although it maintains that “there are indications that he could have been transferred to Criminal Investigation offices”, such as Villa Marista or the center at 100 and Aldabó.
“We hold the Cuban regime and the State Security bodies responsible for the physical and psychological integrity of Manuel Cuesta Morúa while he remains deprived of liberty and his whereabouts are unknown. Any violation of his rights, any act of violence, mistreatment, coercion or impact on his integrity will be the direct responsibility of the Cuban authorities,” the statement denounces.
“We hold the Cuban regime and the State Security organs responsible for the physical and psychological integrity of Manuel Cuesta Morúa while he remains deprived of liberty.”
A philosopher and historian by training, Manuel Cuesta Morúa is one of the best-known figures of the Cuban opposition and has suffered numerous arrests and acts of harassment for their political activism. From January 2026 chairs the CTDC –one of the main platforms for articulating the opposition inside and outside the Island– after taking over from José Daniel Ferrer, who went into exile in Miami in October 2025.
