The Cuban religious figure Sor Nadieska Almeida expressed her support this Wednesday for Anna Sofía Benítez Silvente, known as Anna Bensi, and her mother, Caridad Silvente, ahead of the trial scheduled for this Thursday, and urged Christians to accompany them with prayer and physical presence.
The message, titled "Christians in Communion", was shared by the Cuban priest . In the text, Almeida described the process as a "unjust trial" and called for the support for mother and daughter to be visible.
"It's all about BEING, SUPPORTING, ACCOMPANYING, making our unity and all the support visible for those who have placed all their trust in that good God who always has the final word," he wrote.
The religious leader also stated that, as a Catholic and a consecrated individual, she raises her voice in solidarity with both.
"I assure you of my prayers and wish to express my deep admiration for your nobility and integrity," he stated.
The statement comes just hours before Anna Bensi and her mother appear before a court on October 1, after a hearing initially scheduled for September 17 was postponed.
Mother and daughter remain under house arrest and are prohibited from leaving the country.
Both are accused of “acts against personal and family privacy” after recording and posting on social media the visit of agents from the Interior Ministry who came to their home to deliver a citation from State Security.
The process began in March. Then, Cubalex legally challenged the charges and argued that recording public officials while performing their duties is a citizen's right.
The organization also stated that the alleged crime required a direct complaint from the person considered affected.
The case was initially shelved following that argument from the defense, led by attorney Roberto Ortega Ortiz, but it was reopened in July when MININT sub-official Yoel Leodán Rabaza Ramos personally filed a complaint.
According to Bensi, the agent claims to have felt offended by the comments posted after the video was shared and demands that mother and daughter record a public apology.
The young woman also stated that the complainant's lawyer is requesting two years of restriction of liberty for each one.
At the brink of the trial, Anna Bensi has reiterated that she does not intend to stop her publications. "I am not going to be silenced", she declared this Monday, and asserted that she would re-record and publish the video that initiated the process.
The support from Sister Nadieska Almeida joins the statement made by religious organizations. The Western Baptist Convention of Cuba publicly expressed its solidarity with both and demanded respect for due process, freedom of expression, religious freedom, and their dignity.
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