HAVANA, Cuba.- From the Valle Grande prison, west of the Cuban capital, the 11J protester Harlen Oropesa Carrero denounces several attacks perpetrated against him by members of the repressive organs from the popular protests occurred in Cuba on July 11, 2021.
Harlen Oropesa is 38 years old. He lives in Luyanó Moderno, in the San Miguel del Padrón municipality of the capital, and is a graduate of Primary Education at the “Presidente Salvador Allende” Pedagogical School. He relates that he was arrested on the Güines road during the popular uprising that occurred on that day. He was initially imprisoned in the 11th Police Unit, located on that avenue, and the next day he was transferred to the Ivanov prison. There, as he reveals, they forced him to pass handcuffed between two rows of soldiers who beat him savagely.
As he told CubaNet, as a result of the beating they broke a tooth. In that prison he spent two weeks. When his relatives called the facility, they were told that he was not there.
Her cousin showed up at Villa Marista but there they assured her that they did not know her whereabouts. She later learned from a neighbor that Harlen Oropesa was a prisoner at Jovenes de Occidente, where they had taken him after Ivanov and held him for another two weeks. The girl went to that detention center but there she was not allowed to see him, because he was beaten. The protester adds that while he was in Jovenes de Occidente they kept him isolated in a cell and did not allow his cousin to send him any toilet.
Oropesa added that he has filed complaints with the Prosecutor’s Office against Captain Sandy, who broke his tooth, and against Officer Jordan, a member of the Valle Grande garrison, incorporated for the occasion as a “reinforcement” in Ivanov, who also participated in the beating. . However, he says that so far no official has followed up on the case.
He also points out that in the Valle Grande prison he is constantly changed from detachment, which affects the continuity of visits.
Harlen Oropesa Carrero recently received the prosecutor’s petition, according to which he would face 10 years in prison for the alleged crimes of attack, contempt, public disorder and criminal association.
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