the patience of Maria Luisa Fleita Bravo, mother of Rolando Vásquez Fleita, one of the detainees from the Havana neighborhood of La Güinera for the demonstrations of July 12, was filled last Monday. That day, at the appeal trial for her son’s 21-year prison sentence for sedition, the desperate woman lashed out at the court.
“Don’t touch me, because this is going to be for mothers now!” Fleita shouted at the police officers who took her out of the courtroom, alluding to the rebellious attitude of the so-called 11J mothers, like her. “We are tired of putting up with all this.”
The woman recounts that in the trial they let her son’s lawyers speak, but that upon hearing the prosecutor’s accusation, her son began to shout: “Mom, it’s a lie!” According to Fleita Bravo, the accuser pointed out that he had left Cantera Street to demonstrate.
“My son lives here on Second Street, if he left Cantera Street it is because he had come from Russia a week ago and went to see my family, and my whole family lives on Cantera Street,” Vásquez Fleita’s mother reproached. who assured that his son only crossed the street after having bought a soft drink, when returning home.
A guard told her to shut up, but Fleita refused to listen: “I’m not going to shut up, that’s my son and I’m not going to shut up”
Her spirits heated, she told her son: “Pipo, don’t worry, everything will pass… I know it’s a lie.” A guard told her to shut up, but Fleita refused to listen: “I’m not going to shut up, that’s my son and I’m not going to shut up.” The woman was encouraged by another woman present in the courtroom, who praised her right to defend Rolando.
“I came to the prosecutor and myself, yelling at him, I told him: what they are committing is an injustice,” says Fleita, who did not give up: “What they are committing is an abuse, it is good now, we are tired of putting up with it everything, and just so you know, I’m his mother.
Fleita assures that there were three cameras recording everything, but doubts that the images will be published. They took her out of the court and outside her she found more police officers whom she also reproached for her arrests and sentenced that she would not remain silent. Because of this, she was taken to the police unit where she was interrogated by a State Security agent until after six in the afternoon.
“They talked nonsense with us, the same crap as always, it’s what they do to us, that we have to be calm, that I screwed up everything,” Fleita tells 14ymedio. She maintains that the prosecution wants to “ship” the accused without evidence.
In addition to La Güinera, there were also appeal trials in the Provincial Court of Matanzas, which resolved on Monday the request of Samuel Pupo Martínez and maintained his seven-year prison sentence for the crimes of contempt and public disorder, after having risen to an overturned vehicle and shout “down with communism” and “homeland and life”, in the demonstrations of last July 11, in Cárdenas.
His wife, Yeneisy Santana González, pointed out that, although the lawyer gave arguments and a “brilliant defense”, the sentence was ratified. In a post on Facebookthe woman said that eight of the 17 convicted appealed, due to the protests in that municipality.
“I can’t find words to describe how I felt to see you climb into the cage with shakira and handcuffed like a criminal. And I keep asking myself: What did you do? Raise your voice, demand your rights!” Santana wrote in the publication. She adds that she will continue denouncing until she is released, meanwhile she questions: “I no longer know how to explain to our child why dad has been in prison for more than 10 months and he doesn’t come home.
Inside, they threw him on the floor and kicked him. She did not hear from him until 103 days later, when the search did not stop
Pupo suffers from scleroderma, a degenerative and autoimmune disease that affects the skin and other organs of the body, and has been twice in the prison infirmary, but neither this condition nor all the arguments were enough to free him.
In interview with 14ymedio, Yeneisy Santana González has reported that Pupo was arrested on July 11, in a violent manner, and was taken to the headquarters of the Communist Party by three uniformed men and a man dressed in civilian clothes. Inside, they threw him on the floor and kicked him. She did not hear from him until 103 days later, when the search did not stop.
In other cases, the sentence was also confirmed for 11 of 12 appeals filed before the Military Chamber of the Supreme People’s Court, for the convictions of protesters on July 11 such as Yasmany Porra Pérez, who was sentenced to 17 years in prison. for sabotage, robbery with force and attack.
“I am outraged because it is 17 years and he did not kill anyone, he only went out to demonstrate, to demand his rights as a citizen of this country and what he received in return was beatings and mistreatment,” said Yasmany’s wife, Rosmery Bello castle, to Radio Television Marti.
Bello recounts that her husband cannot hear in one of his ears, because the authorities burst his eardrum during an interrogation, when they tried to get him to admit his guilt. Yasmany Porra Pérez was arrested on July 16 of last year and accused of allegedly looting stores.
Bello recounts that her husband cannot hear in one of his ears, because the authorities burst his eardrum during an interrogation, when they tried to get him to admit his guilt.
In addition to Porra, 11 more people received a final sentence: Wilfredo Castillo González was ratified his sentence to 15 years in prison, while Adrián Fernando Domínguez Hidalgo, 13 years and 9 months; Yoel Montano Alpizar also received 14 years and 6 months, and Rolando Sardiñas Fernández, 12 years.
In the same process, the court confirmed the sentence of 11 years for Omar Herrera Moré and 10 years and six months in prison for Andy Alexis Martín Pérez, in addition to 10 years for Yordan Puentes Morera. Those who have the fewest sentences, although without modification, are: six years for Dainier Flores Oliva, five years for Roberto Díaz Martínez and the same sentence for Andy Ortega Murgado, only that in the latter it will be correctional with internment.
These results abound in what organizations have been demonstrating Cubalex and Justice 11J: that the appeals of those sentenced for these demonstrations are barely serving to modify the sentences.
According to the registry of these independent associations, to date 40 people have received a response to the review of their sentence in the first instance, of which only one achieved notable success, going from one year in prison to being acquitted.
________________________
Collaborate with our work:
The team of 14ymedio is committed to doing serious journalism that reflects the reality of deep Cuba. Thank you for joining us on this long road. We invite you to continue supporting us, but this time becoming a member of our newspaper. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.
