OFF THE COAST OF HAVANA -- A Cuban exile flotilla shot bright fireworks into the sky only about 13 miles from the Havana coast Friday in a defiant show of support for dissidents on the island who are struggling for democracy and human rights.

Cuba’s government branded the flotilla as a provocation, detained tens of dissidents on the eve of International Human rights Day and sent security agents to shut off parts of Havana’s seaside Malecón boulevard.

But the “Lights of Liberty” from the 8-inch shells were clearly visible in Havana despite a light rain, and blogger Orlando Luis Pardo quickly tweeted a blurry photo of a bright globe floating above part of the capital’s horizon.

“Despite the rain, controls and arrests, the flotilla fireworks can be seen!” blogger Yoani Sanchez wrote in another Tweet. “Havana full of lights, and short of human rights.”

“Our goal has been met,” flotilla organizer Ramon Saul Sanchez boasted after the first fireworks went up shortly after 7 pm. Despite the Cuban complaint, he added, “what we have here is a party!”

The flotilla of at least four vessels organized by the Miami-based Democracy Movement began setting off its fireworks when it reached “Democracy Point” — 12.5 miles from Havana and only half-a-mile from Cuba’s territorial waters.

Dissident Baptist Pastor Mario Felix Lleonart told El Nuevo Herald that many people were gathering along the Malecon despite a light rain, apparently hoping to see the upcoming fireworks. His telephone went dead after that.

At vessels carrying about 60 exiles left Key West and Marathon Key early Friday and sailed through 3-foot waves to reach the designated launch point for the three-hour fireworks show.

Participants prayed and sang the Cuban national anthem before setting off for the coast off Havana, where they hoped that some dissidents in the capital would support the fireworks show with a pots-and-pans protest of their own.

Sanchez, who reported the first launch of fireworks to Miami’s La Poderosa radio station via satellite telephone, earlier Friday had said the flotilla’s “spiritual leader” was Ladies in White founder Laura Pollán, who died of a heart attack in October.

Blogger Sanchez reported that State Security agents in plain clothes and posted in streets leading to the Malecón were turning people away from the seawall, where Havana residents gather nightly to walk and meet friends and lovers.

Parts of the five-mile long Malecón had been closed to pedestrian traffic Friday morning, allegedly because of flooding from sea water.

But many dissidents had planned to be on the seawall for the fireworks show.

Rapper X Alfonso “coincidentally” scheduled a concert for 10 p.m. Friday not far from the Malecón,” and organizers of a hip-hop poetry event Saturday noted that the fireworks could serve as an interesting “preamble” to their own event.

Authorities also appeared to have blocked most of the dissidents’ telephones beginning Friday afternoon, most likely to keep them from reporting on the many arrests and the fireworks show.

Lleonart also reported during the day Friday that he was trying to tamp down rumors that the flotilla off the coast was ready to pick up any Cubans who wanted to escape the island.