Cuba: Nearly 400 Sanctioned Over Anti-Govt. Protests

Facts

• Cuba has sanctioned 381 people over last July's anti-government protests, with 297 people reportedly sentenced to 5-25 years of prison for crimes of sedition, public disorder, assault, or robbery.¹
• Thousands of Cubans took to the streets in protest of rising food costs, medical shortages, and harsh socio-economic conditions that worsened during COVID.²
• Unauthorized public gatherings are illegal in Cuba, and security forces detained 1.3K protesters, leaving one dead and dozens injured.³
• Out of the 297 sentenced to prison on Mon., 16 were between the ages of 16-18, and 36 received 25 years for sedition. The remaining were given the option to commute their sentences with community service. Cuba's age of criminal responsibility is 16.¹
• Washington has criticized Havana over the harshness of the sentences and has demanded the release of all detained protesters. Meanwhile the Cuban government has accused the US of financing and instigating the demonstrations.⁴

Sources: ¹NBC, ²Al Jazeera, ³BBC News and ⁴France24.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by VOA. The Cuban regime is trying to intimidate and threaten anybody who dares to speak out with mass detentions, sham trials, and unjust sentencing. The US rightly stands with the brave Cubans who have opposed 62 years of repression. The communist regime must be held accountable.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Reuters. This is yet another example of the US attempting to undermine the Cuban government. The US has continuously tried to destabilize Cuba but to no avail. It hasn't worked for 60 years, doesn't work now, and won't work in the future.