US blasts Cuban gov't sentencing of protesters as 'unconscionable'

30/4/2024 12:10

        The United States on Monday blasted a Cuban court's decision to sentence a group of protesters to as many as 15 years in jail, calling the recent judgment "unconscionable" and "outrageous."
        
        The protests, which took place in the small eastern Cuban port city of Nuevitas in the summer of 2022, flared during a time when power outages had grown severe in the region, pushing hundreds of frustrated citizens to take to the streets.
        
        The Cuban government tried and found 13 of those who participated in the protest guilty of crimes ranging from sabotage to sedition, according to a sentencing document viewed by Reuters. One woman was found not guilty due to lack of evidence.
        
        The majority of the penalties ranged from 10 to 15 years in prison, which the United States and several human rights groups on Monday classified as heavy-handed.