Cuban Government Seeks Up to 7-Year Sentences for March 2024 Protesters in Granma

The Cuban regime has called for prison sentences ranging from three to seven years for 16 citizens from the Granma province who took part in peaceful demonstrations on March 17 and 18, 2024. During these protests, thousands of Cubans filled the streets in multiple cities across the country, demanding food, electricity, medicine, and a dignified life.

Julio César Vega, an activist from the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) and a political prisoner, reported from behind bars that these prosecutorial demands aim to instill fear. The independent media outlet CubaNet quoted him saying, "They want to terrorize everyone who, like them, is asserting a constitutional right," in an audio released by the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights.

The March protests, identified by Cubalex as the peak of a series of civic mobilizations, erupted due to the severe economic crisis, relentless power outages lasting over 15 hours, and the ongoing shortage of food and medicine suffocating Cuban families. Starting in Santiago de Cuba, the protests spread to Matanzas, Sancti Spíritus, and Granma, and were met with arrests, internet blackouts, and threats against participants' families.

More than a year after these events, the accused face harsh prosecutorial requests without procedural guarantees. Among them, Dalis Zamora Rondón could be sentenced to seven years, René Aguilera Aguilar to six years, Mario Luis Espinoza Cedeño to five years, and other activists to similar penalties, including restrictions on freedom and house arrest.

"All were condemned merely for demanding their rights to a normal, stable, and healthy life, weary of the desperation, hunger, and cruelty perpetuated by the regime," Vega emphasized.

This week, it was revealed that Cuban prosecutors have also demanded sentences of up to nine years for peaceful protesters in Encrucijada, Villa Clara, who demonstrated on November 7, 2024, against the endless power outages that have disrupted daily life across the country for years. Armed only with pots and their voices, they shouted slogans like "Turn on the power!" and "We want electricity!" The response has been requests for sentences of up to nine years, as reported by Cubalex on Friday.

Yandri Torres Quintana and Rafael Javier Camacho Herrera face nine-year sentences; José Gabriel Barrenechea Chávez six years; Rodel Bárbaro Rodríguez Espinosa five years; Yuniesky Lorences Domínguez four years; and Marcos Daniel Díaz Rodríguez five years of restricted freedom. The accusations against Barrenechea, a well-known Cuban writer, extend beyond the protest itself, encompassing his "behavior on social media," political beliefs, and even "associations with people of questionable morality." A punishment for thinking differently, cloaked in legality.

In July 2025 alone, 845 protests were documented nationwide, marking a 38% increase compared to the same month the previous year, with 209 involving direct confrontations with political police, according to the Cuban Conflict Observatory. The organization's report highlights that repression has become a constant rather than an exception. In July, neighborhoods like Guanabacoa and El Diezmero witnessed pot-banging protests, street blockades, and clashes with riot police, driven by power outages lasting up to 30 hours, rampant inflation, food shortages, and a crumbling healthcare system.

Additional factors fueling public outrage include official denials of the existence of beggars, the skyrocketing cost of basic groceries exceeding 90,000 pesos monthly, and the rising number of femicides and deaths in police custody.