Cuban youths sentenced by Judge Melody González will be able to appeal their sentence.

The four young Cubans sentenced to prison by Judge Melody González Pedraza, who is now in the United States trying to obtain political asylum, will be able to appeal their sentence next month.

The provincial court of Villa Clara admitted this week the appeal of the sentence issued against four Cubans under 30 years old, accused of the crime of assault.

The accused, who were tried by the municipal court of Encrucijada, presided over by González Pedraza, will have another opportunity to defend themselves in a hearing that will take place on August 9 at 9:00 am, in the room for offenses against State Security in criminal matters, at the provincial court.

The document accessed by Martí Noticias states that "all the evidence presented in the first-instance trial will be reproduced," and statements from witnesses will be taken ex officio: a captain, a first lieutenant, and a lieutenant colonel from the Ministry of the Interior (MININT), and a civilian.

The sentence, signed by Judge González Pedraza, dated May 8, 2024, imposes a four-year prison sentence on Andy Gabriel González Fuentes, Eddy Daniel Rodríguez Pérez, and Luis Ernesto Medina Pedraza; and a three-year sentence on Adain Barreiro Pérez.

They were accused of launching Molotov cocktails against the houses of police chiefs and regime officials in Encrucijada on November 18, 2022. Their families claim that it was a process manipulated by State Security, similar to those of the 11J protesters, and was based on statements from regime agents, without guarantees for due process.

The other two magistrates of the court who participated in the process were Marlenis Toriza Rivero and Ana Ivis Rodríguez Rodríguez.

Less than a month after signing the sentence, González Pedraza traveled to the United States with a humanitarian parole, but upon arriving at Tampa International Airport, immigration authorities denied him entry due to his repressive background in Cuba, and he requested political asylum.

She is now in a detention center in Pompano Beach, Broward, upset because she cannot find a lawyer to represent her in the process. "There are several we have called, both my family and I, but so far I have only received rejections and excuses. (...) Everyone is concerned about moral damage and maintaining a reputation; not even one free lawyer has responded," she said.

Recently, he requested the release of the four young people he sentenced in Cuba and noted that the process was interfered with by the provincial court and State Security, that the preliminary investigations were insufficient, and that during the oral hearing, it was not allowed to investigate thoroughly or properly assess the defense's evidence.

After that confession, human rights organizations demand the unconditional release of the youths and that the first trial be declared null and void.

The lawyer Santiago Alpízar, director of Cuba Demanda, an NGO aimed at promoting a transition to democracy in Cuba, regrets that, despite the evidence presented, the four remain in prison.

"That indicates to me that the Provincial Court of Villa Clara and the presiding judge will try to uphold the sentence of Judge Melody González, and that is very concerning," he emphasized.