Man from Santiago de Cuba detained when trying to visit his grandmother in Guantánamo

George Almeida Roque was detained by police at the checkpoint on the Santiago de Cuba highway, when he was on his way to the Guantánamo Province to visit his family. He was approached by a State Security official known as Reinier who told him that he will have to go back to his province until he is instructed otherwise by the Guantánamo Council. The official also said that he had received this instruction from his superiors as an illegal departure from the country was expected. Almeida Roque said that he had nothing to do with any illegal departure and there were other things which were affecting the country. He only wanted to visit his ill grandmother. After that, Almeida Roque was put against the patrol car, handcuffed and driven to the police unit in Niceto Pérez. There he was kept in detention for more then 24 hours and then released with an official written warning.