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FROM
CUBA
Repression in the palace of justice
Rafael Ferro Salas, Abdala Press
PINAR DEL RIO, Cuba - May (www.cubanet.org)
- "It didn't suffice for the authorities
to bring him to trial and sentence him,
they also took it upon themselves to stop
us opponents from being there, if only just
to give him moral support and solidarity,"
Eliosbel Garriga Cabrera tells me while
he looks at the street. He's telling me
of what happened just a few days ago to
him and a group of opponents of the Cuban
government.
Eliosbel told me the incident occurred
during the public hearing carried out for
Fernando Martínez Calzadilla, who
is also an opponent. Fernando was tried
and sentenced to four years in prison.
"The authorities got it good and ready
for Fernando. They knew he's an opponent
and took it upon themselves to show he was
devoting himself to making illegal deals
in the military committee where he worked.
They implicated him in a deed of selling
medical certificates for sick leave from
the Compulsory Military Service. It's a
big lie, they even went as far as finding
false witnesses in order to try him. Fernando's
only crime is being an opponent of the Cuban
government, nothing more," Eliosbel
pointed out.
He also tells me the police authorities'
greatest concern the day of the trial was
the presence of the group of opponents at
the entrance to the Palace of Justice in
Pinar del Río. Eliosbel says that
from the first moment there was a whiff
in the air of the repression to come.
"The police cars began to arrive;
groups of people dressed in civilian clothes
came by the streets, but we could tell they
were coming to the park where we were waiting
for the trial to begin. In less than an
hour we were surrounded by all these people.
Then two uniformed men arrived and told
us we had to leave the place, that they
weren't going to be allow us to enter the
courtroom."
With Eliosbel were Asnel Herrera Padrón,
Yoel Martínez Cruz, Alexander Ortega
Martínez and Manuel Rodríguez
Chirolde.
"Finally we had to leave. We were
very few in the face all those people. They
most important thing is that our brother
Fernando knew that we'd been there to be
in solidarity with him. I think that helped
him not to feel all alone at the trial.
We also know that some day all these abuses
are going to end in Cuba. It's not a crime
in any part of the world to attend a civilian
trial. That's only seen here in this country,"
Eliosbel affirmed.
Before we said goodbye I showed him what
I'd written down of his statements. I did
it without using a tape recorder and in
the same place where a few days earlier
it didn't suffice for the authorities to
bring an opponent to trial and sentence
him to four years in prison; they also took
it upon themselves to prevent his brothers
in cause from going and giving him joint
support.
Versión
original en español
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