The Cuban Military Tribunal rejected all requests made by the defense of Eduardo "Eddy" Ceballos Pérez during a judicial review and upheld the digital creator's pretrial detention, while his family reported that the ruling attributes to the accused an acknowledgment of the facts that they claim he never made.
According to the notification received by the family, the court stated that "there are elements in the process that link the accused to the criminal act, which he acknowledged from the very beginning, as stated by the defense representative."
The resolution also justified the refusal to modify the precautionary measure due to "the harmfulness of the facts associated with state security."
But Marieta Pérez, mother of Ceballos, described that statement as "alarming and contradictory" and stated that the declarations included in the file say otherwise.
According to Pérez, his son gave four statements during the instruction phase —two before his lawyer took on the case— and in all of them, he denied having any intention of committing acts of espionage.
"The court not only denies the presumption of innocence as a right, nor does it take into account the lack of evidence, but it also alters the statements made by the accused," the mother reported.
Pérez demanded that "the real record be respected, that the narrative manipulation cease, and that a fair, transparent process adherent to the truth of the facts be guaranteed."
Daniela Escarra, wife of Ceballos and mother of his daughter, also categorically denied the account stated in the resolution.
"This is false. Totally false and quite unbelievable. Since his arrest on June 1, Eddy has declared his innocence in all his statements. That is his current position," he stated.
Escarra has also reported irregularities in the construction of the case against her husband and accuses the authorities of fabricating elements of the case.
"They invent evidence. They premeditate the crime. They create a baseless case. And still, the court goes along with it," he wrote on Facebook.
From a viral video to an accusation of revealing secrets
Ceballos, creator of the satirical channel Despingovery Channel, was arrested on June 1 in the Diez de Octubre municipality, Havana, after posting a video in which he explored an abandoned military facility featuring Soviet missiles from the 1960s, radar systems, and Cold War bunkers.
The case, which was initially linked to an accusation of "invasion of military property," escalated into a much more serious charge: "revelation of secrets pertaining to State Security", as outlined in Article 116.3 of the Penal Code.
Cuban legislation imposes severe penalties for the behaviors outlined in that article, which can reach up to 30 years in prison, lifelong deprivation of liberty, or the death penalty, depending on the legal circumstances and the specific details of the case.
The decision announced on Monday represents another setback for the defense's efforts to have Ceballos await the proceedings outside of prison. The prosecution rejected a first request for a change of precautionary measure in August, and the family reported another denial in early September.
From prison, the digital creator has publicly rejected the accusations. In August, he sent a letter in which he summarized his position with a phrase: «I am an artist, not a spy».
The cameraman for Despingovery Channel, Christian Rodríguez Riverón, was detained weeks later and is also facing a charge related to the case. He remains held at the facility known as "El Reloj Club" in Boyeros.
Ceballos has been in preventive detention for almost four months without a trial date being announced.
His wife reported in July that the authorities intended to turn the case into a warning to other digital creators and, in her words, "send a message of fear."
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