Anna Sofía Benítez Silvente, known as Anna Bensi, posted a video on Facebook in which she updates the status of the legal process she is facing alongside her mother, Caridad Silvente, and reaffirms her commitment to activism despite the repression.
The 21-year-old reported that the trial, which was scheduled for September 17, has been postponed without a new date having been set.
“A few days before, my mom and I were informed that the trial has been postponed, according to them, due to personal issues of the judge, and as of today, there is still no date,” she explained.
In addition to the postponement, Bensi revealed a demand from the member of MININT involved in the case, sub-officer Yoel Leodán Rabaza Ramos: "The police officer involved in the case is asking that my mother and I make a public apology video, a video featuring us, and upload it to social media so he can recover his reputation."
The lawyer for that agent goes even further in his claims. "What he is asking for my mom and me are two years of restricted freedom," he revealed.
The process originated last March, when Rabaza Ramos appeared at the home of both to deliver a summons from State Security. Mother and daughter decided to record and share the moment on social media as a protective measure.
The authorities then charged them under Article 393 of the Criminal Code for "acts against personal and family privacy," an offense that carries penalties of between two and five years in prison.
Since March 25, they have been under house arrest with a prohibition on leaving the country.
The case was filed away in April thanks to the defense of lawyer Roberto Ortega Ortiz, who argued that this crime can only be prosecuted through a direct complaint from the victim. But in July, the agent himself filed a direct complaint, which reactivated the process. A month later, the court confirmed that they would be taken to trial.
In the video, Bensi also reflected on the first anniversary of her digital activism and was emphatic in assessing her experiences: "If I were given the chance to turn back time, fully aware of all the repression that would befall me, knowing everything I would lose, believe me, I would do it again. It has definitely been a pleasure for me to express everything I've had bottled up here."
The activist also rejected any political labels: "Ana Bensi is not a leader, nor does she want to be one. Ana Bensi is not interested in politics at all, neither as a professional path nor in any public office, but I will not stop expressing myself because it is literally my right."
She defined herself simply: "I am a 21-year-old woman, Cuban, Christian, expressing myself. That is Ana Bensi."
And he closed the video with a reflection on the limits and purpose of his activism: "Cuba cannot be freed through a screen, but this is my way of not sitting idly by in the face of my experiences."
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