Young Cuban with HIV released on bail after Guanabacoa protest
Lismani Acosta, 19, was released on conditional liberty after being detained on 6 July at a demonstration over power cuts and water shortages.
Young man detained at Guanabacoa protest released on conditional liberty
Lismani Acosta, 19 years old and an HIV patient, was released on conditional liberty on Thursday, according to martinoticias.com. The young man had been arrested on 6 July in the Habana Nueva district of Guanabacoa during a neighbourhood demonstration against power cuts and water shortages.
His partner, Leonides Montano, confirmed the release: "They've released him now. Now I have to go to the police station so he can go and sign the bail that was set for him. The freedom they gave him was conditional for now until they decide if it's a fine or a trial."
Following his July detention, Acosta's relatives reported that the young man was beaten by several officers, which caused him a fractured nose, and that he remained incommunicado for 11 days.
The authorities initially imposed a bail of 100,000 Cuban pesos on him, but the change in precautionary measure transferred him to provisional prison at Cuba-Panamá penal facility, in Mayabeque province, accused of the alleged crime of disorderly conduct.
During his time in the penitentiary, Montano noted that Acosta presented signs of malnutrition and depression. The family had to supply him with antiretroviral medication due to the lack of supplies in the prison.
The young man faced the proceedings without legal representation, awaiting the authorities' determination of whether the case will conclude with an administrative sanction or lead to trial.
Source: Google News CU — Crime