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Report on Human Rights January 2021 Year 2

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Report on Human Rights January 2021 Year 2 Report on Human Rights January 2021 Year 2 – No.17 Cuban Human Rights Center 1 Contents 1.-Introduction………………………………………………… 3 2.-Political Prisoners.………………………………………. 5 3.-Arrests………………………………………………………… 16 4.-Harassment…………………………………………………. 32 5.-Social and Crisis-Related Problems--------------- 49 6.-Fines.…………………………………………………………… 77 7.-Summary……………………………………………………. 78 2 1.- Introduction There have been two major problems in January: the return -with greater force- of the Chinese virus and the Rearrangement Task. In the case of the Chinese virus, the last day of the period ended with 906 positive samples, which implies a significant rebound, since until April 15, 2020, a little more than a month after the pandemic began, there was an accumulated number of 862 positive cases, down from a single day in this rebound. The problems with the medical supplies, the shortage of PCR and the delay in the results, by laboratories that were overwhelmed, have been definitive for this month, in which the inefficiency of the Public Health system has been noticeable. To which must be added the lack of ambulances, which has caused public transport buses to be used to move patients infested with the disease; which brought as a result –the one that has been disclosed so far- the death of a 5-year-old girl from Matanzas, who could not be rushed to the provincial pediatric hospital because the ambulance appeared 5 hours after being requested and was not properly equipped with the girl dying two hours later. The number of infected children is also alarming; as well as the way in which the number of deceased has grown. In fact, January has been the deadliest month of the pandemic and Luis Antonio Torres Iribar, first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba in the capital, has said that: "Havana could get worse." Despite the fact that extreme measures have been taken in some provinces, the outbreak has not been contained. In particular, the two aspects that most affect the agglomeration of people are: transportation, which is very scarce; and the queues, due to the lack of food and hygiene products. Without knowing who is responsible for the crazy ideas of the economy --although the public face is Marino Murillo-- the "Rearrangement Task" is started at the worst moment of the pandemic, and only 20 days later "President" Díaz-Canel said that the rearrangement had to be arranged, in the first place because of the number of complaints that have been received from the population due to the high prices, given the empty pockets of ordinary Cubans. The arrangement is nowhere to be seen in the month that has elapsed, but society is very much annoyed after enduring an 11% drop in Gross Domestic Product during 2020. It is as if the regime was saying to the people: "Fend for yourselves." In summary, it can be said that the dictatorship continues living in a fictional world that does not take into account the needs of the people and thus violates their elemental rights. If there was a November 27, now there will be a January 27 as well, in which the figure of the Minister of Culture, Alpidio Alonso Grau, has stood out when hitting an independent journalist to take away his cell phone, with which the Minister was being filmed. The protests of the San Isidro Movement and the group of November 27 continue, now for the Minister of Culture to resign, pointing to the National Capitol as the meeting place. 3 Inflation continues to be rampant, with unstoppable prices, despite the threats of fines and confiscations made by the regime and that it will probably implement, shortly, through legal channels. On the other hand, the religious issue has been on the social scene for several months now and it remains: a group of priests and practicing Catholics from Cuba and other countries wrote the document: "I have seen the affliction of my people" published on January 24. Immediately, Razones de Cuba answered it on January 28 with an article entitled "Counterrevolution hidden behind the cross and the cassock." It goes without saying that the response was more of the same: that the document was signed by counterrevolutionaries financed by intelligence agencies of the United States of America. It also states that for months, several Cuban priests have been inciting their parishioners from the pulpits of their churches, with broad media support from Miami. Videos showing police abuse are increasing on the networks, which are then forwarded and all become viral. But in particular a video has circulated with statements by Col. Ramón Valle Luna, in which he can be seen boasting that he had killed 3 and that Fidel and Raúl had said: "Don't even touch him." This is irrefutable proof of the violation of human rights in Cuba, where all power is concentrated in the figure of the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the day. Havana, 5 February 2021 Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello Supervisor 4 2.- Political Prisoners Hanoi Morán Dime is not in the list of political prisoners. He was arrested on the street on January 31, around 1 a.m. along with Darío Pérez Diéguez, at Monte and Aponte streets, in the Jesús María neighborhood, in Old Havana. They were transferred to the police Unit at Cuba and Chacón streets and Darío was released at 5:30, with a Warning, but Hanoi was taken at noon to the Bivouac, to be processed as a repeat offender, since he had been given a fine for not using his face mask properly. This note is only informative because we will respect the always serious decision of Cuban Prisoners Defenders to place him or not on the list of political prisoners. Since it all happened on the last day of the month for sure they did not have time to process him. Rapper Denís Solís González, from the San Isidro Movement, remains imprisoned after an arbitrary process in a maximum security prison, despite being a first-time inmate and his crime not being classified as serious. The young Luis Robles Elizástegui, who was arrested in December 2020 while demonstrating on the Boulevard San Rafael, is being accused of Alteration of Public Order and Contempt, in addition to Acts against State Security. He is awaiting trial at the Combinado del Este. Meraida Martín Calderín, who cooperates with the Cuban Center for Human Rights from Santiago de Cuba, has had her two sons, twins aged 25, political prisoners, for 1 year and 8 months. Bianko and Diango Vargas Martín, are away from their home province (Santiago de Cuba) serving sentences in prisons, kilo 5 in Pinar del Río and Agüica in Matanzas. On Sunday, January 31, former political prisoner Dayamy Lay Sangrony died of Multiple Pneumonia and Hepatitis C she acquired in prison. She served 7 years of deprivation of liberty. Below are the movements of political prisoners during the month of January: Released under precautionary bail measure: Sulaine Videaux Almenares and Evert Oscar Matos Leyva; Pastor karel Parra Rosabal had his oral trial hearing suspended. Released under conditional freedom: Jesús Alfredo Pérez Rivas, Josiel Guía Piloto and Luis Andrés Domínguez Sardiñas. Released after serving full sentence Humberto Paz Gutiérrez. Transferred: Luis Robles Elizástegui, to Combinado del Este de La Habana; Yulisneis Richard Viel, to Forced Labor Camp El Manguito, Santiago de Cuba; Yulio Ferrer Bravo, to Forced Labor Camp San José de Las Lajas, Mayabeque; kesser Rodríguez Rodríguez, to Forced Labor Camp Paraíso Cuba-Jamaica, Güines, Mayabeque. 5 Political Prisoners who meet the international requirements to be declared Prisoners of Conscience Fecha ID Apellidos Nombre Delito fabricado Condena Prisión detención Aguilar Acosta Alberto 12/5/2020 Desacato Pendiente Combinado del 1 Este, La Habana Almagro Toledo Didier Eduardo 8/4/2020 Desórdenes Públicos 3 años El Pre, Santa 2 Clara, Villa Clara Amaro Hidalgo Iván 8/13/2016 1er juicio: Desacato y 5 años Canaleta, Perico, 3 Resistencia / 2do Matanzas juicio: Atentado Arias Valerino Raudel 9/28/2017 Atentado y 4 años y 10 Melena del Sur 2, Desórdenes Públicos / meses: 2 años Mayabeque 4 Actividad económica / 10 meses / 2 ilícita / Desacato años Arocha del Carlos Manuel 7/8/2020 Desacato 1 año Prisión Cerámica 5 Risco Roja, Camagüey Arzuaga Alcalá Edilberto Ronal 12/24/2018 Impago de multas 1 año y 2 Kilo-9, Camagüey 6 meses Ayala García Noslén 3/5/2016 1er juicio: Desacato / Sanción Melena del Sur, 2do juicio: Atentado / conjunta de Mayabeque 3er juicio: Desacato, 10 años 7 Resistencia y Negación de auxilio / Dos acusaciones por Desacato Briñones Reinerio Rafael 12/22/2016 Evasión 5 años Las Mangas 8 Rosabal Nuevas, Granma Canet Misael 12/18/2015 Atentado, Resistencia, 6 años Kilo-7, Camagüey 9 Velázquez Desobediencia y Daños Chirino Pérez Wenceslao 3/29/2016 Desacato y Atentado / 1 año y 6 Km 4 de la Robo con violencia meses. carretera de de 10 Conjunta 11 San Juan, Pinar años del Río Cruz Reina Benigno 12/28/2017 Impago de multas 4 años El Típico, Las 11 Tunas Curuneaux Adrián 5/23/2020 Atentado Pendiente Valle Grande, La 12 Stevens Habana 13 Díaz Paseiro Mitzael 11/24/2017 Peligrosidad Social 3 años y 6 Guamajal, Santa 6 Pre-delictiva meses Clara Diop Santo- Abdel Kader 5/21/2017 Atentado y Desacato 5 años Campamento de Suárez Trabajo Forzado 14 Sofía Riverón en Jagüey Grande, Matanzas Duvergel Delis Emeregildo 11/30/2016 Atentado (2016) y 4 años y Kilo 5 y medio, otro Atentado en sanción Pinar del Río 15 prisión adicional (pendiente) Faure Melkis 8/6/2016 1er juicio: Desórdenes Sanción Campamento de Hechevarría Públicos, Atentado y conjunta de 6 Trabajo Forzado 16 Resistencia / 2do: años y 7 Construcción del Desórdenes públicos, meses MININT, La Atentado y Resistencia Habana.
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