Cuban Prosecutors Seek Four-Year Sentence for Intellectual Alina Bárbara López Hernández

The Cuban prosecutor's office has demanded a four-year sentence of corrective labor without confinement for renowned intellectual and activist Alina Bárbara López Hernández. She faces charges of contempt, disobedience, and assault following her arrest on June 18, 2024. On that day, López Hernández, alongside anthropologist and fellow activist Jenny Victoria Pantoja Torres, was on her way to Havana to join a peaceful protest when the police intercepted them in Matanzas.

Prosecutor Ana Lilian Caballero Arango has also proposed a three-year alternative sentence for Pantoja, accusing her of assault. Moreover, both women are ordered to pay alleged damages to a police officer: 650 CUP from López Hernández for a torn uniform, and 500 CUP from Pantoja for replacing the officer’s artificial hair extensions.

López Hernández criticizes the prosecution's case as a "dramatic script" filled with falsehoods aimed at concealing the political nature of the matter. In a detailed Facebook post, the historian revealed that both she and Pantoja were victims of police violence, resulting in medically documented injuries that were ignored in the proceedings. "We were the ones beaten, abused, and treated like animals. I feared for my life that day," recounts López Hernández, who was later diagnosed with post-traumatic labyrinthitis. Pantoja endured chest bruises after being restrained by the same officer.

Allegations of Political Motivation Denied

López Hernández strongly criticizes the effort to depoliticize the case: "The prosecutor seeks to strip the incident of its obvious political nature, exposing a state that resorts to violence to prevent the exercise of constitutional rights." The charges never acknowledge that both women were heading to exercise their right to peaceful protest. Instead, they are depicted as instigators of a roadside brawl, with narratives López dismisses as "implausible" and "absurd."

Despite their esteemed intellectual backgrounds, both women face legal proceedings that, they argue, aim to punish their civic activism and deter others from challenging the system. Although the trial date remains unset, López has warned that they will not be alone on the stand: "It will be the 2019 Constitution itself that sits accused," highlighting the disparity between the rights it claims to grant and their practical implementation under a dictatorship.

International Reactions and Human Rights Concerns

The case has sparked reactions from activists and human rights advocates both within and outside Cuba, who caution that this method of criminalizing dissent undermines Cuba's international commitments. "Dictatorships cannot masquerade as democracies, no matter how hard they try," López Hernández declared, reinforcing her commitment to peaceful resistance against what she sees as a politically motivated trial.

The trial of the two intellectuals is slated to take place at the Matanzas Municipal People's Court. "In the coming days, we will issue a statement clearly expressing our stance on the prosecutor's proposed sentence," announced Alina Bárbara. This will not be the first time the distinguished academic faces charges. In November 2023, she was tried for alleged disobedience after she took to the central park in Matanzas with a sign demanding the release of writer and journalist Jorge Fernández Era in April of that year. She was found guilty and fined.