The judicial process after the July 11 riots in Cuba respected the guarantees of detainees and the laws of the country, authorities in the justice system and relatives of the defendants said.
In a Cuban television report, the president of the People’s Provincial Court of Havana, Yojanier Sierra, dismissed the allegation of peaceful marches to describe the acts of vandalism that day.
“In a place where there was a violent crowd, where police cars were overturned, where Molotov cocktails were thrown and where the population could not leave the house in fear, where public services were stopped because of the unrest, who dares say that these were peaceful marches? asked the manager.
Sierra pointed out that only those who participated in acts of violence were prosecuted and not those who participated in street protests where no serious events occurred.
The expert recalled that Cuba is not allowed to prosecute a person under the age of 16.
The Penal Code in force establishes that “criminal responsibility is opposable to the natural person from the age of 16 at the time of the commission of the punishable act”.
“Another different thing is that legal processes were presented to young people between 16 and 20 years old. Our norm establishes that with this age group, one can benefit from them at the time of sentencing, but this is optional for the judges, who take into account their conduct, their direct participation and their social behavior, ”explained Sierra.
Judiciary authorities pointed out that some of the most recurring crimes of July 11 included contempt, assault, degradation, public order disturbances and resistance.
The criminal investigation has led to the opening of files, a process that the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) has controlled from the beginning to provide and gather all the necessary evidence before their presentation in court, Beatriz de la Peña pointed out, Chief Prosecutor of the Criminal Procedure Department.
In this sense, the FGR selected the people who committed the most serious acts and took into account those over 18 who were studying, to whom it paid particular attention, he commented.
“There have even been people who have been shown to be involved in certain acts, but who have not been brought to justice because their participation did not show aggression,” said the specialist.
The Cuban authorities pointed out that all the defendants attended the trial with legal representation, hired by them or ex officio.
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