Cuba strongly rejects European Union's recent statements

HAVANA, Cuba, Jul 4 (ACN) Cuba rejected today recent statements on the island by institutions of the European Union (EU) and the spokesman of the regional bloc, Peter Stano, contrary to principles of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement ( PDCA) signed between the two parties in 2016.

Emilio Lozada Garcia, director general of bilateral affairs of the Cuban foreign ministry, expressed on Twitter that such statements violate the principles of equality, non-interference and respect for the sovereignty of the parties.

The Cuban diplomat considered that the EU should drop its double standards and address serious human rights (HR) violations involving member states.

Last June 26, Stano referred to the alleged concern of the EU regarding the sentences applied to Cuban citizens Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara, Maikel Castillo Perez and others, for crimes contemplated in the island's Penal Code.

On Twitter, the EU spokesman reiterated a call to Cuban authorities to respect all civil and political rights of Cubans, made last March by Josep Borrell, EU representative for foreign affairs and security policy.

Stano's tweet followed information provided two days earlier by the Attorney General's Office of the Republic of Cuba on the criminal proceedings in which citizens Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara, Maikel Castillo Perez, Felix Roque Delgado, Juslid Justiz Lazo and Reina Sierra Duvergel were tried.

According to the agency, the oral hearing of Case No. 12/2022, of the People's Municipal Court of Centro Habana, was held on May 30 and 31, 2022; during the trial sessions the defendants were heard, and in their presence the testimonial, documentary and expert evidence proposed by the prosecutor and the lawyers who represented them was practiced.

As a result, Otero Alcantara was punished to a five-year prison sentence, as perpetrator of the crimes of insult to the symbols of the homeland, contempt of court and public disorder.

The Court imposed a nine-year prison sentence on Castillo Perez, for the crimes of contempt, attempt, public disorder and defamation of institutions and organizations, heroes and martyrs.

Roque Delgado was sentenced to five years of imprisonment for the crime of attempt, and Justiz Lazo and Sierra Duvergel, as perpetrators of the crime of attempt, received sentences of three years of imprisonment, substituted by an equal period of correctional work without internment.