In Cuba, justice imprisons with a vengeance

The Cubans baptized it the “11J” after historic mobilization of July 11, 2021, during which a considerable crowd swept through the streets of sixty-two towns on the island… His watchwords? Down with the blockade! Down with shortages! However, demonstrations are prohibited in Cuba, even on the 1^is May.

The 11J is also the starting point of a unprecedented wave of arrests. In total, nearly 1,300 people were arrested in the aftermath of the protests, according to figures from Cuban NGOs.

Although some of them have since been released, the judicial authorities remained silent on the fate reserved for the detainees until last January. Cuban justice then finally communicated the figures of those prosecuted: more than 700 people aged 12 to 68 have been imprisoned since the demonstrations of 11J.

Beyond this figure, it is the number and the severity of the convictions that shock the Cuban population. At 1^is July, more than 450 sentences were handed down for offenses ranging from assault at public disorder . Dozens of other protesters were sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for sedition » .

At the end of June, two emblematic artists and opponents of the regime, Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara and Maykel Osorbo were sentenced to five and nine years in prison respectively.

The NGO Amnesty International calls for their immediate and unconditional release as well as that of all those imprisoned for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and defending fundamental rights to Cuba ».

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