MIAMI, United States.- Prisoners Defenders (PD) denounced this Wednesday that the number of political prisoners in Cuba increased again during the last month, and reached 1,046, of which 901 are protesters of the historic anti-government protests of 11 September. July 2021.
According to the most recent report by Prisoners Defenders, in the last 12 months, from June 1, 2021 to May 31, 2022, a total of 1,236 people have suffered political imprisonment on the island.
“The list of political prisoners in Cuba contains 1,046 political prisoners suffering judicial sentences, as well as provisions limiting their freedom by prosecutors without any judicial supervision, in flagrant violation of international law and due process,” the report denounces. document.
The organization explained that the report includes some of the most flagrant generalized violations of international law, common to all 1,236 prosecution processes, such as detentions of more than 24 hours. and provisional prison, “always imposed by the accusing party (police and prosecution) without any judicial supervision.”
Other violations, adds PD: “They have only had lawyers dependent on the Government; they have not had access to the case and the complete file of their accusation; trials have been held behind closed doors; the expert evidence is all partial, since the experts depend on and work for the Ministry of the Interior; and the witnesses were all policemen, members of the organizations of the party in power, or state officials.”
“Reading said violations, proven and flagrant, it is not possible to deny that arrests, trials and convictions, everything has been a great play, with a double session; one, for the consumption of those who still do not recognize in Cuba the worst and most effective enemy of democracy and prosperity in Latin America; and another, to hide from the people what was really happening”, they point out.
Of the 1,046 political prisoners in Cuba at the moment, 37 are minors (32 boys and five girls), of whom four girls and 19 boys have already been sentenced, a large part for “sedition”, and an average sentence of six years. and five months of deprivation of liberty.
Likewise, the document draws attention, 168 protesters, including many of these minors, have been prosecuted for the crime of “sedition.”
Some 726 political prisoners have already been sentenced, and 246 of them with final sentences of 10 or more years. At least 134 women are political prisoners of the Cuban regime.
The current classification of the 1,046 political prisoners in Cuba is as follows, according to PD: 754 Convicts of Conscience; 262 Convicted of Conscience and 30 cases of Other Political Prisoners.
See the full report here.
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