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The Provincial People's Court of Holguín announced on its Facebook page the holding of a landmark trial for drug trafficking, as part of the so-called “Operation against Drugs” taking place in Cuba from September 15 to 21.
According to the official note, which does not detail the sentence, the process met “all legal and procedural guarantees” and aimed to send a preventive message to society, even mentioning its role in individuals with “criminal potential.”
What is a exemplary trial?
In theory, this is a judicial process that aims to send a deterrent message to society, demonstrating that certain behaviors will be punished. In consolidated democracies, it can have a legitimate character, provided that the principles of the rule of law are respected, such as the presumption of innocence, due process, the right to defense, and strict legality.
The problem arises when this type of judgment is used as a tool for propaganda or repression, punishing not only proven acts but also individuals for what they might do, a concept known as authorial criminal law.
The Cuban case: justice as a warning
The official statement that the trial in Holguín serves a “preventive and prophylactic function for individuals with potential criminal behavior” is incompatible with modern criminal law and democratic principles. This demonstrates that in Cuba, exemplary trials function more as mechanisms of social control than as transparent judicial processes.
In a country with serious issues of internal drug trafficking —which the authorities acknowledge belatedly after years of tolerance— the regime's strategy aims to project strength, but in practice, it ends up criminalizing vulnerable communities and reinforcing ideological justice.
In summary
Exemplary trials are only legitimate in a democracy if they strictly adhere to the law and respect fundamental rights. When they transform into public punishments and discussions of "criminal potential," they cease to be justice and become an instrument of political and social intimidation, as is the case in Cuba.
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