EE.UU qualifies those who are outraged by the condemnations against those who manifest the Newness

The US government on Tuesday described as outrageous the harsh sentences of the Cuban regime against the participants in the protests in Nuevitas, Camagüey, in 2022.

"The harsh sentence this week of up to 15 years in prison for Cubans whopeacefully gathered in Nuevitas in 2022 is outrageous," said the Undersecretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Brian A. Nichols, in his X account.

He stated that "the government's continued repression" against "Cubans who strive to fulfill their basic rights and needs is inconceivable."

This week the Provincial Court of Camagüey sentenced protesters who peacefully took to the streets of Nuevitas in August 2022 to demand an end to the endless blackouts and freedoms with up to 15 years in prison.

The Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH), reportedthe sentences imposed on 13 protesters who remained imprisoned for participating in massive and peaceful protests, in which hundreds of Nueviteros took to the streets to the rhythm of the conga and shouts of “freedom” and “turn on the current, damn!”

"These brutal sentences, the majority between 10 and 15 years (138 years in total), are part of the repression suffered by Cubans who express themselves critically about the current situation in the country," the OCDH said in its statement.

Of the 14 people who sat in the dock, 11 were found guilty of the crime of "sedition", for which they will serve sentences of more than 10 years in prison.

Only one of the accused was acquitted at trial, due to lack of evidence.

The protests in Nuevitas took place in August 2022, when the country was under a harsh period of blackouts of up to 18 hours, similar to that experienced in recent times.

At that time, the Cuban police intervened in the protests for two consecutive nights, but on the second occasion the police repression was broadcast live on social networks.

Little by little the names of some imprisoned protesters became known, although the regime never specified the number of people it detained in peaceful demonstrations in which hundreds of Cubans protested against precariousness, misery, repression and blackouts in Cuba.