María Victoria Gil, sister of the former Cuban Minister of Economy Alejandro Gil Fernández, reported that the former official is in a "very precarious" physical and mental state and stated that he has been tortured during nearly two years of imprisonment in the Guanajay prison, in the province of Artemisa.
According to an account given in an audio to journalist Javier Díaz from Univisión, a relative who visited him recently mentioned that “he can barely stand and does not articulate coherent sentences”, something she considers “clear evidence” of the mistreatment he has suffered.
In statements collected, María Victoria asserted that until recently she was convinced her brother was in a safe house of the Ministry of the Interior, "living and eating well," and that the entire judicial process was a "charade."
"In these almost two years, I have been calm and happy, confident that this was a circus... that my brother was in a safe house," she confessed.
However, he stated that he has now come to know "the truth": that Gil "has been suffering torture in the Guanajay prison for almost two years" and that he has been turned into "a human wreck," equivalent — in his words — to "a person who has undergone a lobotomy."
The sister of the former minister explained that this impression is based on the testimony of her niece, the daughter of Alejandro Gil, who visits him every 15 days for only 15 minutes, the time allowed by the prison authorities.
According to what the young woman has reported, Gil "does not speak" during those meetings, he is "so devastated" and "disillusioned" that he can barely hold a conversation, which reinforces the notion of a profound deterioration since his imprisonment.
In describing the personal impact of these revelations, María Victoria stated that she experiences the situation as “a nightmare” and that she feels “too bad, too sad”.
She insisted that "no one deserves" what, according to her, has been done to her brother: "They have turned him into that human wreck... nobody deserves that, nobody," she emphasized through tears.
A trial for espionage and economic crimes
Alejandro Gil Fernández, who became the Minister of Economy and Planning of Cuba, faced a highly publicized legal process in which he was charged with numerous offenses, including espionage, embezzlement, bribery, tax evasion, money laundering, forgery of documents, influence peddling, document theft, and violation of regulations regarding classified documents, as well as crimes "to the detriment of economic activity."
María Victoria, who has been living in Spain for a decade, acknowledges that she is unaware of the details of the case or the exact moment her brother may have engaged in such behaviors, due to the limited personal relationship they maintained in recent years.
However, she acknowledges that, as the person responsible for economic policy, Alejandro Gil bears a share of the responsibility for the crisis the country is experiencing.
The trial against the former Minister of Economy of Cuba concluded this Thursday in Havana, following sessions held behind closed doors, under strict secrecy and without guarantees of transparency.
The trial, held at the Marianao Court and overseen by the Supreme People's Court, has been "concluded for sentencing."
The case has unfolded in an atmosphere of absolute secrecy, with restricted access for family members and a complete absence of independent media, further demonstrating the opacity of the Cuban judicial system when it comes to crimes classified as "against state security."
The trial took place over two days behind closed doors, with a significant security presence for both the public and the press, as acknowledged by María Victoria Gil herself.
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