Elmis Rivero Silvente, sister of the Cuban activist Anna Sofía Benítez Silvente, known as Anna Bensi, issued a message of support to the young woman and accused the Cuban regime of trying to "break her" amid the legal proceedings she faces alongside her mother.
“Take heart, they want to break you in some way. They are so afraid of a 21-year-old girl who simply demands to live as a human being deserves,” wrote Rivero Silvente in a Facebook post.
The sister closed her message with a display of family support: “You are great and unique. Mom and I will always support you. I love you.”
The message comes after a Cuban court confirmed that Anna Sofía and her mother, Caridad Silvente, will be tried for recording and posting on social media the visit of a Ministry of Interior agent to their home.
Mother and daughter are accused of alleged "acts against personal and family privacy".
The process originated after they documented the arrival of MININT sub-official Yoel Leodán Rabaza Ramos at their home on March 10 to deliver a summons from State Security. The family has maintained that the recording was made as a protective measure.
Anna Sofía has been under house arrest since March 25, when she was charged. Her mother is undergoing the same process. The accusation could carry sentences of two to five years in prison if both are found guilty.
The case took a turn in April when it was dismissed after the defense argued that the alleged crime required a direct complaint from the person who was considered affected.
However, the case was reopened in July after the agent himself filed that complaint.
The pressure on the young woman intensified in July when she was held for nearly 11 hours in a police unit in Alamar.
Anna Sofía then asserted that the agents were trying to prevent her from attending a celebration for the Fourth of July, summarizing the message received during the interrogation this way: "Shut up or make different content."
Elmis has also faced pressures against her family. In April, she was interrogated by State Security before returning to the United States, where she resides.
According to her complaint, the agents detained her for over an hour, temporarily took away her passport, and questioned her about her connections to her sister.
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