|
FROM
CUBA
Prosecutors
demand 20-year sentence for peaceful opponent
in Cuba
SANTA CLARA, Cuba, August 27 (www.cubanet.org)
- Provincial prosecutors in Villa Clara are asking
for a 20-year sentence for peaceful government
opponent José Pérez, who is accused
of procuring.
Maricela González, Pérez' mother,
said she was informed of the prosecution's demands
by Pérez' attorney, Silvia Pozo, who then
withdrew from the case.
Subsequently, the case was taken up by attorney
Adelma Mesa, who refused to visit Pérez
at the La Pendiente prison, where he has been
held since March. The first hearing is scheduled
for September 3.
Other government opponents in central Cuba are
concerned that Mesa's behavior may reflect meddling
in the case by Department of State Security officials,
pointing out that Mesa had previously defended
other dissidents adroitly.
At various times in the past, Pérez had
staged non-violent demonstrations against government
authorities who had denied him a ration card for
more than a year and who had harassed his family,
tried to evict them and to demolish their house.
|
