A Cuban resident on the island expressed her outrage over the sentence imposed on the influencer Anna Sofía Benítez Silvente, known as "Anna Bensi," 21 years old, and her mother, Caridad Silvente Laffita, who were sentenced on October 1 to two years of restricted freedom for recording and sharing on social media the visit of a Ministry of Interior agent to their home.
Aliennis Venega, who identifies as an "everyday Cuban" and claims to stay away from politics, published a video on Facebook in which she reacted to the sentence, which has sparked criticism both inside and outside of Cuba.
"It's terrible what is happening. It truly is horrifying what is happening," Venega stated in the recording.
The Cuban openly questioned the restrictions on freedom of expression on the island.
"The Cuban has no voice or vote, the Cuban cannot express what he thinks, the Cuban has to silence himself and suffer, because that is how they want us to be," he denounced.
He also emphasized that those who choose to speak out publicly often become targets of reprisals.
"He who goes out to speak the truth, even without offending, is crouched, besieged, and treated like a criminal," he pointed out.
The People's Municipal Court of East Havana found Anna Bensi and her mother guilty of the crime of "acts against personal and family privacy," as outlined in Article 393 of the Cuban Penal Code.
The case originated after both filmed and shared in March the visit of MININT sub-official Yoel Leodán Rabaza Ramos, who went to their home in Alamar, Havana, dressed in civilian clothes and flip-flops, to deliver a summons from State Security.
Before the trial, held behind closed doors, Anna Bensi summarized her stance with a phrase: “It’s not a weapon, it’s a phone”. After learning of the verdict, she stated that she felt "bound" throughout the entire process.
The human rights organization Cubalex questioned the application of Article 393, arguing that this regulation protects personal privacy but should not prevent citizens from documenting the actions of public officials in the performance of their duties.
On the day of the trial, the evangelical pastor Rolando Fidel Pérez Lora, known as "Herald of Christ," was also arrested as he was heading to the court to show his support for Bensi. Elsewhere in the city, State Security agents and police detained the Christian activist David Espinosa Martínez.
Venega referred to those arrests in his message.
"That pastor who was also arrested for no reason, without any motive, without an explanation. All this injustice truly affects us all," he stated.
The sentence also sparked reactions in the United States. The Under Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Juan Pablo Segura, described it as "cowardice of the Cuban regime", while Cuban-American congress members Mario Díaz-Balart, María Elvira Salazar, and Carlos A. Giménez called for the unconditional release of both women.
Venega concluded her remarks with a phrase that encapsulated the essence of her complaint:
"I am not political, I don't get involved in politics. But what is bad is bad, what is dirty is dirty, what is unjust is unjust."
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