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Cuban opposition leader José Daniel Ferrer García shared a video on Facebook on Friday that, according to his post, shows suspected donkey thieves being captured, beaten and jailed in Songo-La Maya, Santiago de Cuba.
Ferrer accompanied the recording with a caption that reads, in translation: “I will never kill donkeys again.” He added that suspected donkey thieves had been captured, beaten and imprisoned in Songo-La Maya.
The footage shows several men beside a home at night. It carries the watermark of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) and an on-screen caption repeating, “I will never kill a donkey again.”
By Friday afternoon, Ferrer’s post had drawn about 1,500 views and a few comments. One user wrote that the real “donkeys” to eliminate are the regime’s criminal leaders, while another suggested the men were singing the phrase to get bail.
What the Songo-La Maya video does not establish
The post attributes the incident to an alleged theft of animals. However, the material reviewed does not identify the accused, specify when the events occurred or establish who allegedly participated in the beating.
Nor does it provide a case number, details of possible charges or documentation confirming the imprisonment alleged by Ferrer. Cubanos por el Mundo therefore describes the men as suspected participants and does not present their guilt as an established fact.
The report involves two distinct allegations: the theft of the animals and the violence allegedly inflicted on the accused. Neither has been confirmed by an independent source.
The video does not establish the full circumstances of the incident or the health condition of the people shown. As of publication, Cubanos por el Mundo had found no official information about the case.
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Other cases of residents detaining suspected thieves in Cuba
This is not the first such incident reported in Songo-La Maya, a largely rural municipality northeast of the city of Santiago de Cuba. In September 2025, residents of Algodonal confronted a man they accused of trying to steal a cow, tied him with a rope and made him walk through the streets behind a cart, according to images shared by independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada and reported at the time by Cubanos por el Mundo.
In September of this year, also in Santiago de Cuba, residents of Palma Soriano detained a man accused of snatching a university student’s cellphone until police arrived. In August 2023, a video recorded in Havana showed a suspected offender lying on the ground with his hands and feet tied, while he insisted he had not committed the theft.
In those cases, residents and the people who circulated the images attributed their actions to insecurity and a lack of police response to thefts.
Who is the opposition leader who shared the report?
José Daniel Ferrer is the founder and leader of UNPACU, an opposition group founded in 2011 with a strong presence in eastern Cuba. After years of imprisonment, he left the island on Oct. 13, 2025, for exile in Miami, WLRN reported.
From the United States, Ferrer has continued sharing allegations from Santiago de Cuba, including the arrest of a 15-year-old following protests in the province. His organization’s headquarters was the scene of a violent raid in April 2025, when he and his family were detained. This week, he also renewed his commitment to Cuba’s political prisoners.
What has been confirmed about the donkey thieves case
Cubanos por el Mundo verified that the video and its accompanying text were posted on José Daniel Ferrer’s Facebook account. The identities of the alleged donkey thieves, the date of the incident, their alleged injuries and their imprisonment remain unconfirmed. This report will be updated if further information becomes available.
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