MIAMI, United States. – The Attorney General of the Republic threatened the Cubans filmed in the recent protests in Havana with criminal prosecution. The warning was launched by the deputy attorney general of the Republic, Marcos Caraballo de la Rosa, on the television program “Hacemos Cuba”, hosted by the official spokesman Humberto López, this Monday, October 24.
The Cuban regime official said that the videos of the protests would be considered “evidence” to initiate criminal proceedings against the protesters.
“Any means that allows us to prove the occurrence of the crime and the circumstances in which these events occurred and the responsibility or not of the people, is legitimate to prove in criminal law,” he assured.
“Therefore, these images are valid, they can be proven, they are an important element, because also in many of the images we can sometimes reliably demonstrate the responsibility of people. Of course, these images are also subjected to scientific processes, to expert reports, that allow us to know that the images are legitimate, with what device they were taken, in what place, the time, to guarantee the legality of the evidence in the criminal process ”, he added.
Likewise, he specified that when initiating criminal proceedings against the protesters, the Prosecutor’s Office would also take into account the “statements of witnesses, defendants, third parties involved and evidence of conviction.”
At the end of September, the Justice 11J working group denounced that the Cuban regime would carry out “direct reports” of the participants in the popular protests that took place after the passage of Hurricane Ian.
“Direct attestation” is the criminal proceeding that goes from the police investigation, without prosecution or trial, to the oral hearing. It is the Police, and not the Prosecutor’s Office, who directs the entire process. Its objective is to constitute a fast and expeditious route for matters that are processed within the summary procedure in the municipal courts.
The protesters will be prosecuted for public disorder, contempt and resistance.
“We need all possible attention towards the protesters and the criminal proceedings. The cooperation of civil society, the independent press and the accredited foreign press is necessary to make this injustice visible”, requested Justice 11J through Facebook.
As well as requested collaboration to collect audiovisual material, where the repression against the protesters is shown and that can be shown as evidence by relatives and lawyers.
The human rights organization recalled that due to the popular protests of July 11, 2021 (11J) at least 43 people were tried in similar procedures and were sentenced to between 5 and 12 months of deprivation of liberty.
Justice 11J has documented at least 28 arrests related to the protests occurred between September 30 and October 3 last.
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