Lawyers representing those involved in the criminal proceedings arising from the riots of July 11 and 12, 2021 assured that constitutional guarantees have been respected in the trials.
One of the defense lawyers said he had access to the accusatory evidence, to study the case, in addition to being able to meet with his clients and draw up, as a whole, a defense strategy, as detailed in a report published today by the Granma newspaper.
Sergio Hernández Ramos, one of the court-appointed attorneys, pointed out that all the evidence and arguments in defense have been presented and these have been assessed by the members of the Court.
The defendants, adds the newspaper, have also declared everything they wanted, they have even been able to speak for or against the Cuban political and social system, and no one has been prevented from making their statement.
Rainer Rosales, another of the defense attorneys, explained that even though in Cuba criminal responsibility begins at age 16, in the case of defendants who are between 16 and 18 years old, they are legally protected by differentiated treatment.
Among the special measures provided for in Cuban legal regulations for this age range are included not imposing custodial sentences or such high sanctions, with the purpose of facilitating the reintegration of the young person into society.
The newspaper specifies that during the trials other guarantees of due process have been fulfilled, such as, for example, not being deprived of liberty but by a competent authority and for the legally established time and maintaining respect for dignity and physical, mental and moral integrity, not be a victim of violence and coercion to force him to testify.
On January 25, the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic (FGR) reported that, as a result of the investigations into the events that occurred in several cities in Cuba on July 11 and 12, 2021, 117 files were presented in the preparatory phase corresponding to those of greater connotation, of which 110 went to court, with 710 defendants.
The informative note added that as a result of the 84 trials carried out, the Prosecutor’s Office has been notified of 44 sentences issued by the courts, in which 172 defendants were sanctioned, who had the right to establish the corresponding resources, indicates the communication of the FGR.
Carrying out these criminal proceedings has received numerous attacks on social network profiles and digital media, many of which were also linked to a fourth-generation war plan designed from the United States to cause destabilization at a time when the country was facing a complex situation due to Covid-19 and the tightening of the blockade imposed by Washington.
