In yet another blatant violation of human rights, the Provincial Prosecutor's Office in Santiago de Cuba is seeking a 12-year prison sentence for Ana Ibis Tristá Padilla, a resident of Las Tunas, accused of inciting demonstrations and putting up anti-regime posters. According to Martí Noticias, this same case involves Félix Daniel Pérez Ruiz, aged 22, facing a seven-year sentencing request; Christian de Jesús Peña Aguilera, 21, with a potential five-year term; and Jarol Varona Agüero, 49, who could be sentenced to a decade behind bars. They are all charged with the crime of propaganda against the constitutional order and State Security.
It is noteworthy that although all four accused individuals reside in the capital of Las Tunas, the legal proceedings are being conducted by the Santiago de Cuba prosecutor's office. This is due to the fact that only in Santiago de Cuba and Havana are courts specifically designated for State Security offenses.
Tristá Padilla's trial is scheduled for October 18th at the Provincial Court of Las Tunas. She told Martí Noticias, “I was arrested on November 7, and the first thing they told me was that I was being detained for allegedly controlling those who put up posters here in Las Tunas. They also accused me of calling for public marches in the town center, encouraging people to wear white.” The activist, currently released on bail, views this legal action as a "harsh punishment to show Cubans who is in charge here."
Repression and Resistance
Reflecting on her situation, Tristá Padilla expressed pride in her husband, Damián Hechavarría, a self-employed individual sentenced to seven years for protesting against state inspectors' abuses in Las Tunas on April 21, 2021. Activists Taimir García Meriño and Adrián Góngora were also sentenced for that protest, where slogans like "Down with the dictatorship," "Enough with the dictatorship," and "Homeland and Life!" were heard months before the July 11 demonstrations.
In the latest case, prosecutors claim that the accused planned a protest for May 14, 2023, at Vicente García Park in Las Tunas, “knowing it would disrupt social order and public peace in the area.” They also allege that the defendants had connections with terrorist organizations and individuals abroad.
Struggle for Freedom
“This is just another way to crush and intimidate Cubans who think differently, those who yearn for freedom,” stated the 34-year-old woman. “It's a dirty trick they are used to playing. However, they won't intimidate or silence me; instead, it gives me more strength, courage, and determination. I'll stand by my truth.”
The prosecution acknowledges that the rally never took place because Counterintelligence "became aware" of it, reportedly because it was organized on social media.
On Facebook, the Cuban Observatory for Human Rights (OCDH) denounced this injustice, warning that a conviction of Ana Ibis Tristá Padilla would bring more suffering and pain to her family. “These exemplary processes, with prosecution demands exceeding ten years of imprisonment, aim to instill fear and terror in the population so that no one dissents or denounces the current situation. This must be seen in the context of an alarming escalation of harassment and repression against political activists, civil society, and independent journalists,” Yaxis Cires, Director of Strategies for OCDH, told Martí Noticias.
Recently, a Cuban court dismissed the appeal of five protestors from Caimanera, Guantánamo, who were sentenced to two to eight years in prison for their involvement in the 2023 demonstrations. According to the EFE agency, these dismissals, confirmed on Tuesday, add to a long list of rulings by the regime following the protests that have shaken the nation in recent years.