Child protestors receive long prison sentences in communist Cuba

In the latest July 11 protests trials in Cuba, Castro dictatorship judges threw the book at six minors, condemning them to long prison sentences. This is socialism in action.

Via CiberCuba (my translation):

Justice in Cuba: Minors among those sentenced to up to 25 years in prison for protesting on July 11 in Toyo

The Provincial Popular Court in Havana handed down princes sentences of up to 25 years for charges of sedition against 32 Cubans, including minors, who protested at the Esquina de Toyo in the Cuban capital.

According to court rulings reviewed by CiberCuba, among the accused there are six who were minors during the protests and which prosecutors proposed reducing their sentences after the trials were over.

This is what has been taking place in previous trials of individuals 18 and under where prosecutors proposed reductions in sentences after their trials.

Nevertheless, in the case of the protesters in Toyo, a neighborhood of the Diez de Octubre municipality in Havana, the judges ignored the requests for reduced sentences by prosecutors on the last day of the trial although the law provides them with discretion in sentencing for those under 20. In the end, the sentences handed down were longer than expected.

For example, prosecutors requested the sentence for Kendry Miranda Cardenas, 17, be reduced from 20 to 10 years in prison. However, he was sentenced to 19 years. For Lazaro Noel Urgelles Fajardo, who had just turned 16, prosecutors asked for a reduction from 13 to 10 years, but he was given a prison sentence of 14 years.

Rowland Jesus Castillo Castro, who is 17 and was facing a 12 year sentence reduced from 23, is now condemned to an 18 year prison sentence. Meanwhile, Brandon David Becerra Curbelo, 18, who prosecutors were seeking five years of probation reduced from 18 years in prison, ended up with a 13-year prison sentence.

Giuseppe Belaunzaran Guada, 16, finds himself in a similar situation. Prosecutors reduced the requested sentence from 13 to 8 years. But the sentence ultimately handed down on Wednesday was 10 years behind bars, which represents the lowest sentence among the 32 sentences handed down during this latest batch of trials.

Brayan Piloto Pupo, 16, who was facing a sentence as long as his age, is now condemned to 13 years in prison. The ages mentioned here correspond to their age at the moment the July 11 protests took place. Kendry Lazaro, Rowland, and Brandon turned 18 while in prison.

Continue reading (in Spanish) HERE.