Prison Sentences for Two Cuban Youths Over Facebook Posts Criticizing Regime

Two young Cubans, Félix Daniel Pérez Ruiz and Cristhian de Jesús Peña Aguilera, have been sentenced to five and four years in prison, respectively, following a Facebook post expressing their dissent against the regime led by Miguel Díaz-Canel. The Cuban Observatory for Human Rights (OCDH) reports that the Tribunal for Crimes Against State Security in Santiago de Cuba imposed these sentences for "propaganda against the constitutional order." The judges involved were Yoendris Rosabal Jerez, Angélica Maurelo Carbonel, and Eilen Labrada Núñez, with prosecutor Adan Vicente Santos Santos. Other accused individuals were acquitted.

The ruling states that Pérez Ruiz, aged 24, posted on Facebook expressing his frustration with the Cuban government, urging others to make their voices heard globally. He encouraged sharing the content with like-minded people on social networks and called for a protest against the Cuban political system in the Vicente García park in Las Tunas. However, the tribunal acknowledged that the demonstration did not occur due to intervention by the Ministry of the Interior.

Peña Aguilera, 22, a Facebook friend of Pérez Ruiz, allegedly shared the post to support the call and increase its reach, according to the verdict.

The OCDH condemned these prison sentences, stating, "We strongly denounce the imprisonment of citizens exercising their rights to free expression on social media. The Cuban regime blatantly penalizes free opinions and continues to hunt down any dissent."

Earlier this year, another harsh sentence was confirmed, condemning 24-year-old political prisoner Mayelín Rodríguez Prado to 15 years in prison for live-streaming anti-government protests in Nuevitas, Camagüey, in August 2022. She is currently held in the Camagüey Women's Provincial Prison, known as Granja 5, where she has reported inhumane conditions for inmates.

Rodríguez Prado was arrested on August 22, 2022, at her home after filming and sharing footage of two girls being beaten by security forces during summer protests. After her arrest, she was held incommunicado at the State Security headquarters in Villa María Luisa. Initially charged with "public disorder," the charges were later expanded to include "continuous enemy propaganda" and "sedition," culminating in a 15-year prison sentence.

In stark contrast, a young man without a driver's license received a nine-year sentence for fatally hitting and abandoning a young military service member. He attempted to flee Cuba and was apprehended at José Martí airport. Prosecutors sought nine years in prison, while his defense requested a three-year term.