Cuban Government Pulls Power on Mother of Three Occupying State Property in Las Tunas: "I Had No Choice"

Yanisley Oliva Díaz, a Cuban mother of three young children, took to social media last Thursday to report that the electric company removed the meter from the state-owned property she occupies in Las Tunas, leaving her without the means to cook for her children. This action was part of an effort to pressure her into vacating the premises.

In a Facebook post, Oliva explained her decision to occupy the building came after more than two years of seeking housing assistance with no effective response. She described the structure as largely abandoned, used sporadically as an office, while other parts housed unprotected documents and belongings. She noted that she entered without forcing entry, as the back door was ajar with the key in the lock: "I had no choice," she wrote.

Oliva, who has children aged 11, 5, and 2, previously lived with her parents, sister, brother-in-law, and their children, totaling eleven people cramped in a small home, sleeping wherever they could find space. Despite this, housing officials told her there were mothers in greater need and advised her to find a home independently, with a promise of 350,000 pesos in assistance—a promise she claims was never fulfilled.

Additionally, Oliva suffers from a severe medical condition, supraventricular paroxysmal tachycardia, requiring electrical cardioversion during episodes, which endanger her life. Her youngest daughter, born prematurely, also has health issues and is awaiting evaluation for specialized treatment. Despite these challenges, Oliva stated that no social worker has visited her.

Previously working as a manicurist, Oliva had to stop due to health concerns and her children's allergies to chemicals, leaving her without stable income or institutional support. "I'm asking for this post to reach the highest authorities in the country, especially President Miguel Díaz-Canel, as this is a centrally directed policy," she pleaded.

She concluded her plea by requesting the restoration of electricity to feed her children and invoked her family's revolutionary legacy, noting her father's 35-year service in various roles within the Ministry of the Interior (MININT). "Help make my complaint public," she implored, sharing photos of the neglected state property and videos of the power disconnection.

Against a backdrop of increasing evictions in Cuba, the government recently announced immediate enforcement of measures against illegal occupations, directly impacting mothers with young children lacking housing options. One such mother reported being removed from an abandoned state building, highlighting a more aggressive stance by authorities, as noted in statements from January.

This situation is neither new nor isolated. In December, a citizen described a marginal neighborhood in Havana as a place of near-collapse homes lacking stable water and electricity, where entire families, including single mothers and young children, struggle to survive. This testimony was part of a report vividly illustrating the harsh realities faced by those living outside the official housing system, as seen in the account of a Havana resident.

Months prior, another Cuban mother was evicted with her daughter, four grandchildren, and son-in-law from a house they occupied in Havana. She expressed desperation, having nowhere to go, and the promised institutional help never materialized. The eviction was sudden and left the children in total vulnerability.