MIAMI — Cubans and Cuban exiles are marking 65 years since the Bay of Pigs Invasion.
It was a failed operation that attempted to overthrow Fidel Castro’s communist government.
Decades later, the U.S. is still trying to usher in regime change in Cuba as many demand for the release of political prisoners.
As uncertainty grows over what comes next for Cuba, activists say the number of Cubans being jailed for protesting against their government is on the rise.
Prisoners Defenders, a nonprofit legal network, is on the ground tracking the number of political prisoners in the communist island.
In March, the group verified at least 44 Cubans were arrested after taking part in protests.
The organization’s President Javier Larrondo Calafat says over 1,200 are currently jailed for showing their opposition to the regime.
One of the most notable is rapper Maykel Osorbo.
He was arrested after taking part in the historic 2021Island Protests and collaborating in the Grammy winning Cuban protest anthem Patria y Vida.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel recently denied all of it in an interview with Meet the Press, claiming Cubans don’t get jailed for political reasons.
Activists are also sounding the alarm.
Cuban content creators and influencers like Anna Bensi, who lives in Havana, say they’re being targeted and threatened by authorities.
Earlier this month, Cuba released around 2000 from its jails.
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