Cuba dissident leaders face trial in tightly held proceedings

HAVANA, May 30 (Reuters) – After being detained nearly a year ago, two prominent Cuban artist-dissidents faced their first day of trial on Monday, as part of an ongoing legal procedure that human rights groups have dubbed a “farce” and a “circus.”

The activists, Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara and Maykel Castillo, are notable members of the San Isidro Movement in Havana, a group of artists who led multiple protests before fleeing Cuba due to repression.

According to a March 8 court filing acquired by Reuters, Otero Alcantara is charged with defaming the national flag, contempt, and public disruption, and faces a sentence of seven years in prison; Castillo, a rapper known as Osorbo, is also charged with assault and faces a sentence of ten years.

Both Otero Alcantara and Castillo starred in the music video for ‘Patria y Vida,’ a militant hip-hop song that became the unofficial “anthem” for the largest anti-government protests since Fidel Castro’s revolution in 1959.

From early Monday morning, police and security forces encircled the Havana courthouse. An representative from Cuba’s International Press Center told Reuters that a limited handful of family members were granted entrance to the courthouse.

Several European embassies in Havana, including the Netherlands, Germany, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Norway, and Sweden, stood gathered a block from the courthouse for nearly two hours after requesting permission to observe the proceedings.

Before leaving, a German embassy representative stated, “We were not authorised to access the courthouse.” The spokesman requested anonymity and refused to explain why the group was denied admission to the courthouse.

The envoy stated, “We want human rights to be honoured in all areas and countries.”

The Cuban government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the proceedings, nor did it explain why the courthouse was closed to the public.

Castillo and Otero Alcantara’s San Isidro Movement has been accused by Cuban state media, particularly the ruling Communist Party newspaper Granma, of being part of a US-backed “soft coup” effort, which they deny.

Activists and human rights organisations have said that the two men’s situations have become a lightning rod.

On social media last week, Human Rights Watch branded the trials of Otero Alcantara and Castillo a “farce,” while Amnesty International labelled them a “circus.”

Cuba has stated that individuals jailed prior to and following the July 11 protests obtained fair trials under Cuban law.

Throughout the day, the streets outside the courthouse were rather calm. On social media, some activists and friends of the men said that they were being watched by state security and were not allowed to leave their houses.