rialta.org
Cuban Historian and Professor Alina Bárbara López Hernández Arrested by Political Police
Historians and activists denounce the detention of Alina López Hernández under charges of alleged ‘attack’ in Cuba.
Alina Bárbara López Hernández, a Cuban historian and activist, has been detained by the political police in Cuba. According to reports, she is incarcerated and is being charged with ‘attack’. This was confirmed on June 18 by her daughter through a Facebook post.
Her daughter stated:
“My mother, Alina Bárbara López Hernández, a 59-year-old woman who does not carry weapons, is facing charges of ‘attack’. Everyone will understand the gravity of such an act.”
This followed an earlier alert shared on social media by Cuba X Cuba, co-directed by the professor from Matanzas.
The denunciation also mentions the detention of sociologist Jenny Pantoja. Both intellectuals were en route from Matanzas to Havana, as stated by the platform defined as a ‘laboratory of civic thought on the Cuban nation’. Their families indicated they were taken to the La Playa station in Matanzas.
In a critical statement, López Hernández’s daughter said:
“What you do every day against the people of Cuba, subjected to extreme poverty and repression, is the real attack.”
She criticized the state for not holding accountable those who allegedly caused her mother injuries in a prior arrest requiring medical treatment.
The Cuban Penal Code defines the crime of attack under Article 182.1, which imposes a prison sentence of two to five years for using violence or intimidation against public authorities, their agents, or family members. The penalty can increase depending on aggravating circumstances.
In late 2023, López Hernández faced trial on a ‘disobedience’ charge and was fined seven thousand Cuban pesos. Her supporters, including colleagues and civil society organizations, described it as judicial harassment.
This Monday, López Hernández recapped the events leading to her political contestation against the Cuban government. She explained that her activism began after a 2022 incident when she decided that simply writing was insufficient, leading to her participation in peaceful protests starting in March 2023.
Following her activism, López Hernández experienced various forms of repression, including dismissal from La Joven Cuba, detention, travel restrictions, additional charges, trial, and physical assaults.
The situation has put her and her family’s lives at risk, though the security forces have not succeeded in intimidating her to leave the country, a fact she emphasized shortly before her recent arrest.
Cuban civil society and several organizations have condemned the arrests of López Hernández and Pantoja on social media, reading it as another episode of repression against exercising citizenship on the island. In December, the Latin American Studies Association (LASA) similarly condemned the political repression in Cuba, particularly against intellectuals like Alina López Hernández.
Read the full article in English on rialta.org, using Google Translate.
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