HeCuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH) criticized thesentence of five years of deprivation of liberty to political prisoner Luis Robles Elizástigui for demonstrating on San Rafael Boulevard, in Havana, with a sign calling for the end of repression and the freedom of rapper Denis Solís.
“We denounce the five-year prison sentence against Luis Robles Elizastegui [sic]. Once again, judges at the service of the Cuban Communist Party unfairly punish a young Cuban for exercising his rights to free demonstration and expression,” the organization said in a tweet published this Wednesday.
The OCDH used the labels in its Twitter post#SOSCuba and #CubaHasQueCambiar and shared a photo of the ruling that the Chamber of Crimes against State Security of the Popular Provincial Court of Havana imposed in the case of Robles Elizástigui, for the allegedcharges of enemy propaganda and disobedience.
Other users of the social network responded to the Observatory's message and expressedhis rejection of the actions of the Cuban judicial authorities in criminal proceedings against9/11 protesters and other political prisoners.
“It is an abuse that such a young boy has to spend so much time locked up when he did not commit any crime”; “The regime is destroying this country and that is why there are so many people imprisoned, so that the good life of the rulers does not end”; “So that the new generations do not grow up hearing 'speak softly so you don't look for problems', for that promised prosperity that never came, that is why today we say#SOSCuba y #AbajoLaDictadura”, stated several forum members in their tweets.
The ruling againstRobles Elizástigui It was revealed this March 28, after a wait of more than three months since his trial, held on December 16, 2021.
Landy Fernández Elizástigui, brother of the political prisoner, assured the independent media CubaNet that both the family and the defense lawyer want to appeal the sentence, but the final decision falls on the young man.
The court's rulingIt had to be made known after the first 15 days of the criminal process, during which his innocence was demonstrated, although the Prosecutor's Office insisted on presenting his peaceful demonstration as an act that incited Cubans to rebel against the social system.
On December 4, 2020, the arbitrary detention of Robles Elizástigui occurred, while he was carrying outa solo protest on San Rafael Boulevard. The young man, 29 years old and a computer scientist, carried a sign demanding the end of repression and the freedom of theprotesting artist Denis Solís, arrested a month earlier.
Since his confinement in the Combinado del Este, Robles ElizástiguiHe was a victim of physical and psychological torture, among them, frequent stays in punishment cells to prevent their communication with the outside world and restraints of up to four hours at a time with a system of handcuffs called “shakiras”, composed of a chain that is placed around the waist, from which other chains emerge. links to bind hands and feet.
Robles Elizástigui was denied four requests for a change of measure. The non-governmental organization Prisoners Defendersdeclared him a prisoner of conscience in January 2021 and other NGOs such as the Cuban Human Rights Observatory itself, Cubalex, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International repeatedly denounced his case.
As part of a campaign launched by the OCDH, the young CubanHe was sponsored by the Spanish deputy Edmundo Bal, who considers its defense as a duty in favor of all democrats in the world. Bal expressed his disagreement with the ruthless communist regime in Havana for imprisoning opponents and dissidents.
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