The official singer-songwriter Fernando Bécquer, denounced for sexual abuse by thirty women the last Decemberwas tried this Tuesday in Havana.
The sentence of the process, which took place in the Municipal Court of Centro Habana, located in Zanja and San Francisco, will be made public this Wednesday, reported Jorge Enrique Rodríguez, who claims to have been present for the twelve hours that the trial lasted.
During that time, he noted in a direct broadcast the freelance journalistthe more than 30 women who testified against the musician were “without eating” and “without being able to go to a bathroom whenever they wanted.”
Without mentioning the name Bécquer, the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC) confirmed the process in their social networks. “We follow the trial carried out today, attending to the accusations of several women against a citizen for gender violence,” tweeted the secretary general of the FMC, Teresa Boue. “The claims of the victims and the allegations of the accused have been addressed, according to the penal system. The court’s ruling will be announced in the next few hours. Revolutionary justice will prevail.”
“Neither the Prosecutor’s Office, nor the courts, nor the propaganda media have hesitated to expose citizens falsely accused of ‘destabilizing’ actions. In this case, zero publicity”
For Salome Garcia Bacallaothese tweets are an example of the “cynicism” of official feminist organizations, which “carry out acts of repudiation of women and then go to the UN to talk about gender equality and access to justice.”
“Neither the Prosecutor’s Office, nor the courts, nor the propaganda media have had any qualms about exposing citizens falsely accused of ‘destabilizing’ actions. In this case, until today, zero publicity,” denounces the activist, a member of the Justice 11J platform. .
García Bacallao also argues: “Many people have questioned why Fernando Bécquer has awaited his trial in freedom, even making presentations in state premises, or in private bars, when any person who expresses himself freely in Cuba is subject to provisional imprisonment until the trial, even more than a year”.
In his direct, Jorge Enrique Rodríguez warned that he would not report details of the trial, because “we were asked until the ruling was made tomorrow” and “out of respect for those women.”
All of them, the journalist described, “super brave, with a tremendous level of resilience, which have not been destroyed over time.” Some, he recalled, were minors when the events they denounced occurred.
Rodríguez also had harsh words for the “defenders of Fernando Bécquer” these months ago: Ray Fernández, Raúl Torres and Ariel Díaz
Rodríguez also had harsh words for the “defenders of Fernando Bécquer” these months ago, to whom he gave names and surnames: Ray Fernández, Raúl Torres and Ariel Díaz. “Where were you at the trial today, that I didn’t see you?”
The case of the pro-government troubadour began last December, when the independent magazine The sneeze public a report with testimonies of five young people who accused the musician, in a very detailed way, for different episodes of abuse between 10 and 20 years ago.
The singer-songwriter then denied the accusations and described them as “slander”. “I don’t believe anything, I believe in the Revolution”, assured at the end of a concert in Havana.
Months later, some thirty women joined the complaints with their testimonies.
In an unusual move, the official Federation of Cuban Women (FMC) and the National Center for Sex Education (Cenesex), said they supported these women from the beginning.
“For the FMC, nothing is alien to it, much less when it comes to defending the rights of women. Guiding and accompanying women in each process has been a priority for the women’s organization,” wrote the organization, which until then ignored this type of complaints and denied the existence of femicides in Cuba, while Cenesex attributed them to “campaigns against the Revolution”.
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