The Government of Panama confirmed this Monday the arrest of a group of Panamanian citizens in Cuba, who according to the island’s authorities were arrested for painting criticism of the Government and the political system in Havana.
“The Government of the Republic of Panama informs that it has received confirmation from our embassy in the Republic of Cuba regarding the arrest in Havana of a group of Panamanian citizens,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Central American country in a statement.
The Foreign Ministry indicated that they have made formal representations to the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs to know the “legal situation” of their compatriots, “guarantee their physical integrity and ensure full respect for their rights in accordance with international law and current legislation.”
“The Panamanian Government will act with responsibility, prudence and firmness in the defense of the rights of its citizens, respecting at the same time the sovereignty and legal framework of the Republic of Cuba,” the Foreign Ministry warned in the note, while calling for “respect for due process, adherence to human rights and citizen rights.”
Ten Panamanians arrested in Havana accused of “propaganda against the constitutional order”
Panamanians arrested
The Ministry of the Interior (Minint) of Cuba had reported hours before the arrest of ten Panamanian citizens accused of an alleged crime of propaganda against the constitutional order, for which the Cuban Penal Code provides for prison sentences of up to 8 years.
The graffiti contained phrases such as “Down with tyranny,” “Communism: enemy of the community” and “We trust Donald Trump, Marco Rubio and Mike Hammer,” referring, respectively, to the president of the United States, his secretary of state and his ambassador to the island.
All the graffiti were dated with the day they were made, February 28, and had the initials CDPC below. The independent NGO Cuban Prisons Documentation Center (CDPC) denied any relationship with this action.
According to the Minint, those arrested confessed that they were captured in Panama, where they all reside, to “make signs with subversive content, contrary to the constitutional order.”
Those arrested were going to charge between 1,000 and 1,500 dollars each for this operation upon returning to Panama, the statement added.
Tension with the US
The arrests occurred at a time of great tension between the United States and Cuba, after Washington blocked the entry of oil to the island and pressured Havana to start negotiations.
Last week, the Cuban Border Guard Troop entered into a shootout with a speedboat from the United States in which ten people were traveling—Cubans residing in Florida—who were carrying a large amount of weapons, ammunition and military equipment.
The incident occurred in Cuban territorial waters, according to the Minint, which stated that it was the boat’s crew who opened fire when the official vessel approached them to identify them.
Four crew members of the speedboat died in the event and the other six were injured, as was a Cuban soldier.
