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Palmarito de Cauto
Nation / PlaceCU

Palmarito de Cauto

Santiago de Cuba settlement whose 2024 blackout protest led to three UNPACU prison sentences.

Last refreshed: 26 July 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic

Key Question

What happened at the November 2024 blackout protest in Palmarito de Cauto?

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Background

On 19 July 2026 the Palma Soriano municipal court delivered its verdict on the three UNPACU women tried over the 2024 protest here: Mileidis Maceo Quiñones received five years and Edelquis León Giraudy four years, both custodial, while Oneida Quiñones Díaz received three years of correctional work without imprisonment.

Palmarito de Cauto is a settlement in Santiago de Cuba province, eastern Cuba. On 15 November 2024 residents staged a cacerolazo, a pot-banging protest, during an all-day blackout, part of the wave of energy-driven unrest that swept the island that year. Prosecutors had sought terms of ten, eight and five years.

The case made Palmarito de Cauto one of the named locations where Cuba's 2024 blackout protests moved into the courts, and its now-closed prosecution stands as a small-scale domestic counterpoint to Washington's simultaneous escalation of sanctions abroad.

Common Questions
Where is Palmarito de Cauto?
It is a settlement in Santiago de Cuba province, eastern Cuba, where a November 2024 blackout protest took place.Source: event
What happened at Palmarito de Cauto in 2024?
Residents held a cacerolazo, a pot-banging protest, during a blackout on 15 November 2024. Three UNPACU members were later arrested over it.Source: event
Were the Palmarito de Cauto protesters sentenced?
Yes. A Palma Soriano court sentenced two of the three UNPACU women to prison, five and four years, and gave the third three years of non-custodial correctional work on 19 July 2026.Source: event