Supreme Court of Cuba ratifies 14-year sentence of activist Lizandra Góngora, mother of five children

The Supreme People's Court of Cubaratified the sentence of 14 years of deprivation of liberty to the Cuban activistLizandra Góngora Espinosa, mother of five children and 9/11 protester.

In accordance withRadio and Television Martí, the Military Chamber of that body of justice thus dismissed the appeal presented by the young woman's defense against the harsh sentence handed down against her by the western territorial instance, in retaliation for her participation in themass protests of July 11, 2021 in the town of Güira de Melena.

Góngora EspinosaShe is being held in the Western Women's Prison, located in El Guatao., Havana. The hearing to present the appealtook place last June 15 and until last Tuesday his relatives did not have access to the Court's decision.

“She is crazy because she is so many years old,that sentence is for a murderer. She thought they were going to lower her a little. Even I thought that because she neither threw stones nor broke glass,” said Angel Delgado, the activist's husband and a member, like her, of the Republican Party of Cuba.

To date, the Supreme Courthas accepted the appeals of other 11J protesters. The justice body also modified the sanction for 11 of those convicted in Sentence number 42 of 2022, which determined sentences of between five and 15 years in prison for 33 participants in the protests, for the alleged crimes of continued sabotage, sabotage, public disorder, contempt, attack and robbery with force.

However, in the case of Góngora Espinosa, the procedure has been different. “That's because of politics. They (the regime) are trying to keep the opponents in prison for as long as possible. Here in Güira de Melena the only ones who are declared opponents, who belong to independent parties and organizations, are Lizandra and Jorge Bello Domínguez. What they did was demonstrate,” Delgado argued in this regard.

To justify its actions, the Court stated in the sentencing document that the Cuban opponent and mother was one of those responsible for forcing the entry of a Freely Convertible Currency (MLC) store and entering the premises. However, the young woman did not take any of the products that were sold there, because she suffered injuries from the broken glass scattered on the floor.

In a video that she was able to share before being arrested, Góngora Espinosa explained that in Güira de Melena more than 3,000 citizens came out to protest against the regime and that many went to the aforementioned establishment to claim the donated food that they sold to the population. She said that she received an injury to her leg and that she fled the scene, so she was “alone and adrift.”

The court also represented the opponent as one of the people who led the group of protesters who shouted phrases against the country's government and the Cuban Communist Party. He forgot to mention, however, thatThe young dissident was missing for several days, after her arrest in July 2021.

The NGO Cubalex made the complaint about the absence of news and explained that Góngora Espinosa had fled her home on the Sunday when the demonstrations began for fear of being arrested and maintained communication with her family until July 22, when the protests were interrupted. contacts. It was not until the 29th that the police confirmed his arrest.

Thesentence against him was announced in April of this year and provoked a wave of criticism of the government for not judging her correctly and for separating her from her five children. Shortly after,She was punished by the prison authorities where he remains, for refusing to participate in the political events organized there.