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Family says a young man was held for four days in Santiago de Cuba with no word of his whereabouts
Relatives of Daiver Méndez Galiano, 32, found him on November 10 at a police station in Santiago de Cuba, four days after losing contact with him, according to a complaint publicised by independent reporter Yosmany Mayeta Labrada and relayed by CiberCuba and Infobae.
The family lost contact in the early hours of November 6, as the young man was walking home from Antonio Maceo Square. His phone stayed switched off and relatives searched the Provincial and Clinical Surgical hospitals and police stations without obtaining information; they say his name did not appear in the records system that was checked. Mayeta Labrada issued an appeal for public help on Monday and reported the next day that he was in custody at the station known as La Motorizada.
Officers gave two versions of the object behind the arrest: the first explanation the family received was that a patrol had detained him for carrying a pepper spray he allegedly used for self-protection, and shortly afterwards officers said it was not pepper spray but aerosol paint, suggesting it could be used to make anti-government signs. The reporter noted that Méndez Galiano is self-employed making beds and mattresses and uses aerosol paint for that work. Relatives also say officers took away his phone.
Article 347 of Law 143, the Criminal Procedure Act, states that authorities must inform an arrested person of the grounds for detention and allow them, within the first 24 hours, to contact a relative or another person to report on their legal situation. The family began steps to secure his release on bail and, as of the last published update, his release had not been confirmed.
Sources: Infobae
Data updated: 2026-11-11T04:15:00.000Z