Thursday, March 24, 2011

Alan Gross' trial, and many others (Updated)

  • Progreso Weekly has an account of the legal defense of Alan Gross at trial, written by a Havana author who names no sources and doesn’t even indicate whether he witnessed the trial. He predicts an appeal. Update: A less rosy view of the defense is found in this essay in Spanish at Penultimos Dias by Camilo Loret de Mola, who formerly practiced criminal defense in Cuba.

  • At the Posada trial, reporter Ann Louise Bardach gave six days of testimony, her interviews of Posada for the New York Times apparently being of pivotal importance in the prosecution’s case. She expressed her grave misgivings about testifying here. Today’s Herald story concludes: “In cross-examination, Bardach said Posada did not say he was the proud author of the bombings, but a passage in the transcript shows that Bardach asked the exile militant if he was ‘proud’ of the bombings because ‘they went pretty successfully.’ Posada’s answer: ‘Yeah.’”

  • Granma notes that the trial of former food industry minister Alejandro Roca for corruption charges is awaiting a verdict. Prosecutors are seeking a 15-year sentence. Chilean businessman Max Marambio was tried for similar charges in absentia, and prosecutors want 20 years for him.

  • Herald: Gerardo Hernandez, one of the Cuban Five, is seeking a new trial by arguing that his defense attorney mounted an incomplete, ineffective defense. The story includes a link to Hernandez’ affidavit.

  • A Miami New Times blogger says the Cuban Five should experience the judicial system back home.

2 comments:

brianmack said...

You can't make this up: This was just released: (BEIJING) — A longtime Chinese democracy activist was sentenced Friday to a heavy penalty of 10 years in prison for advocating government change in online articles that authorities say slandered Communist Party leadership as autocratic.

The trial came amid a vast crackdown on activism in China that may reflect government anxiety about unrest inspired by uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa. Dozens of well-known Chinese lawyers and activists have vanished, been interrogated, held under house arrest or criminally detained for subversion.

Anonymous said...

Ah, the joys of living under the boot and heel of the communist regimes!
Aren't they grand? Aren't they sweet?
We Cubans have been enjoying those wonderful benefits of Communism for the last 52 years.
And Fidel Castro remains one of the most admired foreign leaders by the US media and intelectual community.
Go figure!