UNPACU activist threatened of losing his land

Angel Frómeta Lovaina, an activist with the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), was working on his farm when first lieutenant Yudelquis Abad of the State Security Department (DSE) and agricultural inspector Antonio Benites arrived and pointed out that since he was not following the production plan, he risked his land taken away by the Agriculture Department. The activist replied that he did not have to comply with any production plan because the Agriculture Department did not deliver any product to him or give him any of the few benefits it gave to the other farmers. He also explained that his harvest was for his own and his family's consumption, and that he did not produce to sell to anyone, much less the state. In response, state agents warned him that they would send an inspection to investigate whether he was selling agricultural products on the black market, and that if they found out that he was selling merchandise they would confiscate his land. The activist opposed a possible seizure of his land, explaining that he obtained them through his parents' inheritance. According to the activist, this is not the first time that the government has tried to take away his land because of his opposition, and he claims to have been a victim of deprivation of liberty and beatings by state agents.