Submitted by WW4 Report on Sun, 08/31/2008 - 23:44.
Cuban punk rocker Gorki Aguila, lead singer of Porno para Ricardo,
charged with "social dangerousness" because of his songs denouncing and
deriding the government, was released with a $28 fine after calling upon
his fans to hold a public protest. Facing up to four years in prison for
lyrics scorning Fidel and Raul Castro as "geriatrics," the 39-year-old
singer was arrested Aug. 25 and charged with subverting "communist
morality." Supporters were due to assemble at Havana's Malecón promenade
to protest Aug. 28. "We invite everyone to gather and shout Gorki," said
the band's (foreign-based) website. At the last minute, judicial
authorities backed down and agreed to the fine. The banner on the
website currently reads "We've won the battle!" (Ganamos la batalla!)
Formed 10 years ago as part of an underground music movement, Porno para
Ricardo is banned from Cuba's official airwaves. The Cuban Commission
for Human Rights and National Reconciliation, an illegal but tolerated
group, said the singer had angered authorities with some of his latest
lyrics but had not violated the law. "Gorki Aguila has not committed any
specific crime as defined by the current criminal code," it said in a
statement. Aguila had asked for "diplomatic observers" to attend the
trial, but refused legal help from the US-based Cuban American National
Foundation. (AP, Aug. 29; The Guardian, Aug. 29)
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