The Cuban content creator Anna Sofía Benítez Silvente, known as Anna Bensi, stated that she does not intend to be silent or stop her social media posts, just days before the trial she will face alongside her mother, Caridad Silvente, scheduled for October 1.
The date was communicated this Monday by the court to her lawyer, after the hearing originally scheduled for September 17 was postponed, according to information published this Monday. Mother and daughter remain under house arrest and are prohibited from leaving the country.
In that context, Bensi explained during an interview broadcasted by CubaNet how they are handling the process, what the police officer who filed the complaint claims, and why he insists he would publish the video that initiated the case again.
Both are accused of "acts against personal and family privacy" after recording and sharing on social media the visit of two plainclothes police officers who came to their apartment to deliver a summons from State Security addressed to Silvente.
"They are accusing us of posting the video on social media where you can see those two plainclothes police officers going to my apartment with a summons from State Security addressed to my mother," Bensi explained.
The process dates back to March 10, when the MININT sergeant Yoel Leodán Rabaza Ramos went to the apartment of Anna Bensi and her mother to deliver a summons from State Security.
The visit was recorded and shared on social media, a decision that both have explained as a precautionary measure.
On March 25, mother and daughter were charged and placed under house arrest. The accusation is based on Article 393 of the Penal Code, concerning alleged "acts against personal and family privacy."
The case was archived on April 13 after defense attorney, Roberto Ortega Ortiz, argued that this type of crime could only be prosecuted through a direct complaint by the person deemed offended and not based on a police report.
However, the case was reopened in July. Rabaza Ramos then filed a direct complaint, and the court notified Bensi and her mother that the process had been reactivated.
Later, a court confirmed that both would be brought to trial for the publication of the video.
According to Bensi, the officer claims that he felt offended by the comments generated after the video was published.
"He says he feels offended by all the comments the post received," the young woman stated, insisting that she and her mother never intended to "humiliate or embarrass him."
Bensi assured that the agent intends for both of them to record and publish a public apology video. The plaintiff's lawyer added that he is requesting two years of freedom restriction for each of them, demands that had also been previously disclosed.
The young woman assured that she holds no grudge against the police officer and said she would even be willing to forgive him.
"I have no anger towards him, no resentment, no hatred, nothing like that," she noted. However, she asserted that she is convinced the agent continues the process under pressure from State Security.
The content creator also stated that the process aims to keep them under control due to the opinions they express publicly.
Three days before the scheduled date for the trial, Bensi assured that he would act in the same way again despite now knowing the legal consequences.
"If I could go back, I would also post the video. I would record a State Security officer, a Police officer, arriving at your home," he noted.
According to her explanation, documenting and making those actions public is a form of protection for her. "I promised myself that I would expose any kind of repression they directed against me, against my mom, or against anyone who is part of my close circle," she stated.
Bensi also acknowledged that she faces the judicial process with low expectations. In her opinion, she and her mother are arriving at the trial in "unequal conditions" and she believes that the decision may be predetermined.
Nonetheless, he stated that he will testify to have a record of his account: "It's important for my mother and me to provide our statement, even if it's not taken into account."
The young woman also stated that she has received offers to leave Cuba and even assistance to further her professional career, proposals she said she is not willing to accept if they come from the authorities.
Asked about the possibility of moderating or stopping her posts due to the risks she claims to face, she replied: "Why should I silence myself? [...] Remaining silent is not a position I wish to take. Honestly, for now, I think this way. I’m not going to silence myself."
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