Police Arrest an Activist in Camaguey for ‘Insulting’ the Cuban Flag

Aniette González was arrested on March 23rd in Camagüey for posting photographs of herself dressed in the Cuban flag. (Facebook)

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Havana, 25 March 2023 — Activist Aniette González was arrested on Thursday in Camagüey after posting her photographs during a performance with the Cuban flag. Accused of “insulting the symbols of the homeland,” she was transferred to Villa María Luisa, the headquarters of State Security in the province, according to reports of several users.

The news came to light after the Facebook profile of Mambisa Agramontina demanded freedom for González and gave an account of the events. “Enough of the repression, down with the dictatorship,” she wrote.

The post was also shared by journalist José Raúl Gallego, who reminded readers that the prison cells of Villa María Luisa are used by police to torture the opposition and stated that González “is in danger” every second she remains in the cell. “Whatever happens to Aniette inside there is the responsibility of the State Security officials,” he tweeted.

González’s last activity on social media was precisely on March 23, when she shared a video of user Guillermo Sierra Conda who denounced the authorities for the arrest and torture of his brother, who suffers from psychological problems.

González joined La bandera es de todos [The Flag Belongs to Everyone] campaign in solidarity with artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, who is imprisoned in the Guanajay maximum security prison in Artemisa province, for insulting the symbols of the homeland, contempt and public disorder.

In 2019, the artist carried out Drapeau using the flag as revindication that it is a symbol of the Cuban population. Immediately the regime arrested him and, after several complaints from human rights defenders, was freed, but the harassment did not cease. On 11 July 2021, he was arrested before he could join the protests that took place that day throughout the Island, although it wasn’t until June 2022 that the People’s Municipal Tribunal of Centro Habana sentenced him to five years in jail.

The number of political prisoners and prisoners of conscience remains high in Cuba. Prisoners Defenders (PD) reports that as of the end of February, 1,066 Cubans were detained, among them are 34 minors — the minimum age of criminality is 16 — who are charged or have been convicted for sedition, with a five year jail sentence.

The Madrid-based organization, registered that 116 women (including several trans women) are serving sentences for politics or conscience. According to the report, 210 prisoners are protesters accused of sedition and 208 have been sentenced to an average of 10 years in prison.

Translated by: Silvia Suárez

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