#FREEGORKI: Cuban Artist Facing Politically Motivated Prosecution Asks for Solidarity

Free Gorki: Needs your solidarity to avoid 10 year prison sentence

A Cuban artist is being subjected to a summary trial because his music is politically charged and highly critical of the government. His name is Gorki Águila. He is a punk rocker, who in the Punk tradition, sings out in defiance of the prevailing power structure. Below is his appeal for solidarity and help. Without you he is facing 10 years in prison. The summary trial is scheduled for February 11, 2014 8:30am at municipal tribunal in Marianao in Havana, Cuba. There is already a petition circulating calling for his freedom. Below is his appeal followed by a translated transcript.

Hello, my name is Gorki Águila I’m the leader of the band Porno para Ricardo, I’m an artist and I’m a musician. And I’m here to denounce this new crime that the government of the Castros would like to do to me.

I’m an opponent to this unjust regime. Now the new thing that they want to do with me is a summary trial. Something that is a tremendous injustice. I don’t know if you know this but summary trials have always been held in totalitarian governments. They are characterized, among other things, by not giving access to the defense to the case files of the prosecution. 

This means that the defense will not be able to prepare itself correctly and that they will be able to do with you whatever they want.

This is why I am appealing to solidarity from all of you so that you will help us once more with this new crime by the Cuban government, before this new injustice, to unite and make this visible in the media. 

To denounce it and to use it to support also other persons, who like me, are engaged in resistance to this regime.

I’m very grateful for the support. And I’m an optimistic guy and I believe that we will succeed if we join together before this situation.

This is not the Cuba of the travelogues and what is highlighted in the mainstream media.  Dissident leaders have been killed under suspicious circumstances. Death threats against human rights defenders and physical beatings are a common practice by the Cuban government. There are new prisoners of conscience in Cuba being recognized by Amnesty International. Women are being regularly assaulted by government agents to stop them from engaging in peaceful protests or assemblies. Human Rights Watch and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has reported and documented that fair trials are non-existent in Cuba. The case of a Spanish national subjected to a trial in Cuba over the Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas affair was straight out of the Stalin show trials of the 1930s. Patterns of repression remain the same or have worsened.

The only protection this musician has is your solidarity. Please sigh the petition and spread the word.