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Eight individuals connected to the opposition movement Cuba Primero could face trial on May 28 in Las Tunas, according to information from the organization Justicia 11J based on family sources.
The prosecutor Iany Fernández Jomarrón is requesting sentences ranging from six to nine years in prison for alleged crimes of "propaganda against the constitutional order," based solely on the affiliation of the defendants with the group and on critical posts made on social media.
Seven of the eight accused have been in pretrial detention for over two years, which Justicia 11J describes as "the prolonged use of pretrial detention as a form of political punishment."
According to a legal document reviewed by the organization, the requested sentences are as follows: Javier Reyes Peña (nine years), Guillermo Carralero López (eight years), Adisbel Mendoza Barroso (eight years), Carlos Manuel Santiesteban Saavedra (seven years), Carlos Alberto McDonald Ennis (seven years), Enrique González Infante (seven years), Pedro Carlos Camacho Ochoa (seven years), and Maikel Hill Ramírez (six years).
Among the accused are individuals who are ill, including at least one defendant who has been granted non-custodial measures for medical reasons.
Pedro Carlos Camacho Ochoa and Javier Reyes Peña are isolated in punishment cells at the Provincial Prison of Las Tunas, known as "El Típico," without having committed any disciplinary offenses in the facility, according to family sources cited by Justicia 11J.
Camacho Ochoa, 27 years old, was arrested on April 3, 2024. Prisoners Defenders records him as having serious health issues, including personality disorder and hypertension. He had previously been fined 3,000 pesos for participating in the protests on July 11, 2021.
The Provincial Prison of Las Tunas has been highlighted by human rights organizations for its inhumane conditions: lack of medicine, denial of medical attention, issues with water supply, and the use of common inmates to harass Cuban political prisoners.
The case fits into the repressive pattern that the Cuban regime has maintained since July 11, when thousands of Cubans took to the streets in the largest popular protest in decades.
None of the eight defendants face charges for acts of violence; the accusation is based solely on their membership in the movement and their expressions on social media.
The Cuban Prosecutor's Office has requested sentences of up to 12 years against other activists in similar cases, while young Cubans have received sentences ranging from five to four years for offenses also related to freedom of expression.
Justicia 11J warns about "the criminalization of freedom of expression and association in Cuba, as well as violations of due process" in this case, which could be resolved in just five days if the court confirms the date of May 28.
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