Cuban Attorney General's Office Says Prosecuting 790 Participants Of 2021 Riots

Cuban Attorney General's Office Says Prosecuting 790 Participants of 2021 Riots

The Cuban Prosecutor General's Office announced that 790 people have been indicted for criminal offenses committed during the July 2021 unrest, 55 of whom are under the age of 18

MEXICO CITY (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th January, 2022) The Cuban Prosecutor General's Office announced that 790 people have been indicted for criminal offenses committed during the July 2021 unrest, 55 of whom are under the age of 18.

"Once the investigation was completed, the Prosecutor's Office obtained 117 preparatory stage files of serious offenses, under which 790 people were indicted for acts of vandalism, assaults on authorities, people and property, as well as severe breaches of public order. 21% of these people had a criminal record," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

According to the statement, the Cuban courts have received 110 files so far, with 710 defendants appearing before a judge and nearly 500 currently in pretrial detention.

Suspects include 55 people under the age of 18. Another 27 juveniles younger than 16 years of age have not been charged as they are not being prosecuted for criminal offenses.

Charges filed against rioters include public disturbance, incitement to crime, damage, robbery with the use of force and violence, assault, sabotage, and rebellion.

Massive protests broke out in Cuba for the first time in years on July 11, 2021, with participants making demands for free elections, alleviation of poverty and more. The government's supporters held their own rallies. Cuban authorities accused the United States of precipitating the unrest, but Washington has dismissed those allegations as erroneous, saying that the protests in Cuba would sway the future US policy towards the country.