Rafters Prosecuted After Tragedy at Sea

Rafters Prosecuted After Tragedy at Sea / Yaremis Flores
Posted on September 27, 2013

HAVANA, Cuba , September 25, 2013 , www.cubanet.org.- On September 4 ,
the Mayabeque Provincial Prosecutor accused Yaíma Nach Remedios and her
stepson, Yasmany Torres Hernández, for allegedly convincing other people
to illegally leave the country, in exchange for money and help to build
a boat.

Yaíma (with no criminal record) and Yasmany, a young man only 23 and
with no criminal record, face charges of 4 and 5 years in prison,
respectively. Cuban courts impose penalties of up to eight years in
prison on those enter, try to leave or leave the country, "without
completing legal formalities."

Nach Remedios — who does not belong to any opposition organization
–claimed Wednesday that only false witnesses could suggest it was only
she and her stepson who organized the departure. "We and 14 other
people, by mutual agreement, tried to reach the United States," she
confessed.

They have used us as guinea pigs, as the other crew members are free and
without charges," she lamented.

Among the four witnesses that the prosecution called to testify, there
is a coastguard and a first lieutenant instructor from the Unit of
Crimes against State Security.

Tragedy on the high seas

On March 7, 2013, Yaíma and a group of 15 people threw a boarded a
makeshift boat with an engine, with the dream of reaching the coast of
the United States. According to what they said, they were sailing for
three days and three nights, but during the voyage they were surprised
by a storm.

"We try to return to find land, and wait for the calm, but all the
shores had dog-teeth (sharp rocks) At 9:00 at night, the board turned
around Yaima said, in a loud voice and with watery eyes, without
starting to cry.

"Everyone tried to get out of the water to go their own way," Yasmany
continued. One of us never appeared. It was almost dawn when we found
Yaima with her ankle cut up and bleeding. Given that, we decided to give
ourselves up to save her."
Today Yaima walks with a prosthesis on her left leg. Her husband, who
had nothing to do with the events, was detained for four months, before
being released for lack of proof against him.

Currently, the penalties are suspended by the migration agreements
between Cuba and the United States, with respect to emigrating Cubans
intercepted on the high seas by the American authorities, or who
illegally enter the Guantanamo Naval Base.

The U.S. Government promised to return them to Cuba and on the Cuban
side the promised not to take legal reprisals against them, on their
return to their place of residence on the Island.

From Cubanet

25 September 2013

Source: "Rafters Prosecuted After Tragedy at Sea / Yaremis Flores |
Translating Cuba" -
http://translatingcuba.com/rafters-prosecuted-after-tragedy-at-sea-yaremis-flores/