On April 20, CID activist Adrian Benitez Ramos was threatened with expulsion from his workplace in the municipality of San Juan y Martinez, in the province of Pinar del Rio. Benitez was summoned to the police station where he was interrogated and threatened by agents of the State “Insecurity.”
On being released on the afternoon of the same day, Benitez confirmed that they assured him that if he continued participating in opposition activities he would be expelled from his current job and imprisoned.
“I have been receiving these kinds of threats since I joined the CID. It is worrying because I am afraid of losing my job or being imprisoned just for my way of thinking.”
Benitez said his wife may also lose her job.
Adrian Benitez is a mechanic at a repair shop for electric kitchen pots, operated by the Trading Company of Domestic Appliances Parts and Accessories (ECEPAE), owned by the Ministry of Domestic Trade (MINCIN). He has worked one year with irreproachable conduct and stands out for his ability and skill, as acknowledged by the directors of the repair shop.
“If I lose this job it will cause many problems, I can not do anything else, all my life I’ve been just this,” said Benitez. He said that he does not receive a high high salary but at least it is a help for his family which depends entirely on him.
3 May 2013