Cuban activist Anna Bensi recounts her trial in East Havana: sanction without imprisonment
Anna Bensi and her mother were sentenced to restriction of liberty for recording an Interior Ministry agent at their home in Alamar.
Trial in East Havana against Cuban activist and her mother: ruling without incarceration
According to periodicocubano.com, activist Anna Sofía Benítez Silvente, known as Anna Bensi, provided CubaNet with a detailed account of the trial held against her and her mother before a court in East Havana.
The case originated from the recording and subsequent dissemination of a visit by Yoel Leodán Rabaza Ramos, a non-commissioned officer of the Interior Ministry, to the family home in Alamar on 10 March. The agent presented himself in civilian clothes to deliver a summons. Mother and daughter argued that they documented the procedure as a protective measure; Rabaza claimed a violation of his privacy.
During the hearing, both defendants gave statements first, followed by the non-commissioned officer. The recorded video was played as evidence by the prosecution and witnesses from the other party testified. A psychologist testified for the defence to analyse a clinical history presented by the agent. After a recess, the lawyers presented their arguments and the court suspended the session again to deliberate.
Rabaza demanded a video of public apologies and his lawyer demanded two years of imprisonment for Bensi, 21 years old, and two years of restriction of liberty for her mother.
Judge Zamira Marrero Morgado handed down a sentence of restriction of liberty for both. This sanction does not involve imprisonment, but imposes specific obligations: to seek judicial authorisation to change residence or move to another municipality or province, and to appear before the court when summoned. At the time of the interview following the ruling, the convicted individuals had not yet received the written resolution.
Despite the operation deployed, dozens of Cubans managed to gather in front of the court to express their solidarity. Before entering the building, Bensi publicly rejected the proceedings: "I do not agree with the trial; we should never have been in this process at any moment." She added: "We do not agree with the political system of our country; we do not agree with how internal affairs of our country are handled; they are wrong and thinking that is not a crime."
The prosecution was based on Article 393 of the Penal Code, relating to acts against personal and family privacy, which sanctions the obtaining or dissemination of images without consent for the purpose of violating those rights and increases the penalty when the material is distributed on social networks.
Bensi spoke positively of her defence lawyer's performance, Roberto Ortega: "We are very happy and very satisfied with his performance today in the trial." However, she expressed rejection of the result: "Obviously, if I do not even agree with the trial, imagine how I feel about the sentence."
The activist pointed to the detention of the pastor known as Pregonero de Cristo as the most difficult moment. "I felt useless, I felt tied up," she said. She also condemned the arrest of David Espinosa and the restrictions imposed on members of the Fuera de la Caja collective, who were trying to accompany them.
In parallel, content creator Elieser El Bayardo disseminated claims about alleged migration plans by Judge Marrero Morgado. He based his statements on Facebook posts attributed to Osbel Ramírez, whom he identified as the judge's partner. Elieser linked the previous postponement of the hearing to a supposed farewell at José Martí International Airport and placed Ramírez in Guyana, from where he would wait for the judge to continue to Uruguay.
The influencer also maintained that Marrero had been considering emigrating since 2022 and associated her with severe sentences handed down against protesters from the 11J protests. He also displayed a petrol offer that he attributed to Ramírez, dated 28 July, and questioned its origin: "We are talking about a man who does not even have a petrol station, who does not distribute fuel and who has a past that leaves much to be desired, but he is the partner, the husband or the boyfriend of a judge."
Source: Google News CU — La Habana