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Category Archives: Macau

Wave of support for US mother awaiting execution – Macau Business

Posted: April 11, 2022 at 5:54 am

The looming execution of a US mother-of-14 sentenced to death in a controversial case for the murder of her toddler daughter has provoked backlash from celebrities like Kim Kardashian and a growing movement that reaches well beyond US borders.

Melissa Lucio is to be put to death on April 27 for the 2007 murder of her two-year-old daughter Mariah, whose body was found at the family home covered in bruises, days after falling down stairs.

Pregnant with twins at the time, Lucios life had been marred by both physical and sexual assault, drug addiction and financial insecurity. She was immediately suspected by police of having hit her daughter and questioned at length, just hours after the death.

After saying that she hadnt done it nearly a hundred times, at 3:00 am she made a completely extorted confession, according to Sabrina Van Tassel, director of the hit documentary The State of Texas vs. Melissa, which came out in 2020.

I guess I did it, Lucio eventually told her interrogators when questioned about the presence of the bruises.

That confession was the only thing they had against her, said Van Tassel, convinced that there is nothing that connects Melissa Lucio to the death of this child, there is no DNA, no witness.

During the trial, a doctor said it was the absolute worst case of child abuse he had seen.

But Mariah had a physical disability which made her unsteady while walking, according to Lucios defense and which could have explained her fall.

The defense also argued that the bruises could have been caused by a blood circulation disorder.

None of Melissas children had accused her of being violent. As for the prosecutor, he was later sentenced to prison for corruption and extortion.

Now the documentary has sparked widespread interest, causing a whole movement to coalesce around Lucio.

Reality star Kim Kardashian tweeted to her tens of millions of followers on Wednesday that there were so many unresolved questions surrounding this case and the evidence that was used to convict her.

And Lucios story has ignited media in Latin America, fascinated by the tale of the first Hispanic woman to be sentenced to death in Texas the US state that has executed the most people in the 21st century.

In France, former presidential candidate Christiane Taubira said Lucio is probably a victim of a miscarriage of justice.

Even one of the jurors who sentenced her expressed his deep regret in an editorial published on Sunday.

Lucio is also winningsupport from US Republicans, traditionally defenders of capital punishment.

About 80 Texas lawmakers from both parties have demanded authorities call off the execution.

Several have been to visit her in prison. As a conservative Republican myself who has long been a supporter of the death penalty I have never seen a more troubling case than the case of Melissa Lucio, said one of them, Jeff Leach.

The flood has come as a shock for the death row inmate, her son John Lucio told AFP.

When he showed her the messages from celebrities like Kardashian, she couldnt believe it.

The last 15 years have been very difficult, said Lucio, who was a teenager at the time of the tragedy and had to cope with it, knowing that I lost my sister and then my mother being charged for it.

But this year has been the hardest because we got the execution date in January, said the 32-year-old.

He is convinced that she would never have been condemned if she had had the money.

The case brings to light the issue of false confessions.

It is difficult to estimate how many there may have been, but according to data from The Innocence Project, which fights against miscarriages of justice, out of every four people wrongly convicted and exonerated thanks to DNA evidence, one had already confessed to the crime.

In homicide cases, that number rises to 60 percent, according to Saul Kassin, professor of psychology at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

And someone who, like Lucio, has experienced trauma and violence is less resistant, more likely to comply, they have less tolerance for the stress of an interrogation, and is therefore more likely to admit to a crime they did not commit, he said.

Lucio has exhausted her appeals but her team has filed a clemency petition, typically not decided until days before an execution. Prosecutors can also withdraw the death warrant and agree to reinvestigate the case, according to the Houston Chronicle.

And if all else fails, Texas governor Greg Abbott still has the authority to delay Lucios death.

A strong supporter of capital punishment, he has only granted clemency once before.

by La DAUPLE

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Tang Dynasty tombs discovered in China’s Shanxi – Macau Business

Posted: at 5:54 am

Three tombs dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907) were recently found in north Chinas Shanxi Province, according to the provincial institute of archaeology.

Archaeologists said that the tombs are about 2 km west of Houzhai Village, Shuozhou City, and are located in the key area where the farming and nomadic cultures blended in ancient times.

Based on the shapes, features and styles of the tombs, archaeologists speculated that two of the three tomb owners were husband and wife. Unearthed relics include potteries, lacquerware, ironware, stone tools, copper coins, silver ornaments, bone combs, and tower-shaped pots.

Tower-shaped pots had not been spotted in tombs prior to the Tang Dynasty, said Gao Zhenhua, an official with the institute, adding that it was a new object that originated during this dynasty as a result of the influence of traditional funeral customs and the advent of Buddhism. It was believed that the object will help the deceased eat and drink in the underworld.

Considering the time, scale, geographical environment and the number of funeral items in the tombs, it can be inferred that the owners of the three tombs were ordinary people, Gao said.

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Indian sari weavers toil to keep tradition alive – Macau Business

Posted: at 5:54 am

In a dim room near the banks of Indias Ganges river, arms glide over a creaking loom as another silken fibre is guided into place with the rhythmic clack of a wooden beam.

Mohammad Sirajuddins cramped studio is typical of Varanasis dwindling community of artisans painstakingly working by hand to produce silk saris, uniquely cherished among their wearers as the epitome of traditional Indian sartorial style.

The city he calls home is revered among devout Hindus, who believe that cremation on the banks of its sacred waterway offers the chance to escape the infinite cycle of death and rebirth.

But Sirajuddins own reflections on mortality are centred on his craft, with competition from more cost-efficient mechanised alternatives and cheap imports from China leaving his livelihood hanging by a thread.

If you walk around this whole neighbourhood, youll see that this is the only house with a handloom, the 65-year-old tells AFP.

Even this will be here only as long as I am alive. After that, nobody in this house will continue.

Varanasis hand-weavers have cultivated a reputation for excellence over centuries, specialising in intricate patterns, floral designs and radiant golden brocades.

The Banarasi saris so-called in reference to the citys ancient name they produce are widely sought after by Indian brides and are often passed on from one generation to the next as family heirlooms.

The elegant garments fetch handsome prices Sirajuddins current work will go on sale for 30,000 rupees ($390) but the cost of inputs and cuts taken by middlemen leave little left for weavers.

Compared to the hard work that goes into making the sari, the profit is negligible, Sirajuddin says.

His neighbours have all switched to electric looms for their garments, which lack the subtleties of hand-woven textiles and sell for just a third of the price but take a fraction of the time to finish.

The fortunes of Indias textile trade historically a cottage industry have long been subject to sudden and devastating upheavals from abroad.

Its delicate fabrics were prized by the 18th century European elite but British colonisation and Englands industrial-era factories flooded India with much cheaper textiles, decimating the market for hand-woven garments.

Decades of socialist-inspired central planning after independence bought some reprieve by shielding local handicrafts from the international market.

But economic reforms in the early 1990s opened the country up to cheap goods just as the countrys northern neighbour was establishing itself as the globalised worlds workshop.

Chinese yarn and fabric came in everywhere, said author and former politician Jaya Jaitly, who has written a book on Varanasis woven textiles, adding that sari factories there had for years been emulating the citys unique patterns and detail.

All of these thriving industries got killed through Chinese competition, and their ability to produce huge quantities at very low prices.

Jaitly said local weavers needed urgent protection from government to preserve a wealth of artisanal traditions that otherwise risked disappearing.

We have the largest number of varieties of handloom, techniques, skills more than anywhere else in the world, she said.

I think thats truly a tradition to be proud of.

Demand for Banarasi saris, already limited to a select Indian clientele able to justify spending at a premium, has also suffered in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The virus threat may have receded in India, but job losses and a big dent to the economy have taken their toll.

The weavers are suffering a lot. They are not getting the right price for their products, payments are also coming late, said local sari merchant Mohammad Shahid, his store empty but for sales assistants stacking silk garments on the shelves.

Shahid was nonetheless hopeful that well-heeled and discerning customers would return.

Those who know the value of handloom will continue to buy and cherish our saris. The handlooms can dwindle but they will never go away, Shahid, 33, told AFP.

by Abhaya SRIVASTAVA

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Iraqis clean up river as first green projects take root – Macau Business

Posted: at 5:54 am

Garbage clogs the banks of Iraqs Tigris River in Baghdad but an army of young volunteers is cleaning it, a rare environmental project in the war-battered country.

With boots and gloves, they pick up soggy trash, water bottles, aluminium cans and muddy styrofoam boxes, part of a green activist campaign called the Cleanup Ambassadors.

This is the first time this area has been cleaned since 2003, shouts a passer-by about the years of conflict since a US-led invasion toppled dictator Saddam Hussein.

The war is over but Iraq faces another huge threat: a host of interrelated environmental problems from climate change and rampant pollution to dust storms and water scarcity.

The 200 volunteers at work in Baghdad want to be part of the solution, removing garbage from a stretch of one of the mighty rivers that gave birth to the ancient civilisations of Mesopotamia.

It breaks my heart to see the banks of the Tigris in this state, said one 19-year-old volunteer, who gave only her first name, Rassel, working under Baghdads Imams Bridge.

We want to change this reality. I want to make my city more beautiful.

The task is Herculean in a country where it remains common for people to drop their trash on the ground.

The green banks of the Tigris, popular for picnics by families and groups of friends, are usually littered with waste, from single-use plastic bags to the disposable tips of hookah pipes, especially after public holidays.

There is a lot of plastic, nylon bags and corks, said Ali, also 19 and an organiser of the cleanup event.

The group then handed their collected waste to the Baghdad City Council which took it away, bound for a landfill.

More often the garbage ends up directly in the Tigris. It is one of Iraqs two major waterways, along with the Euphrates, that face a host of environmental pressures.

The rivers or their tributaries are dammed upstream in Turkey and Iran, over-used along the way, and polluted with domestic, industrial and agricultural waste.

The trash that flows downriver clogs riverbanks and wetlands and poses a threat to wildlife, both terrestrial and aquatic.

When the water empties into the Gulf, plastic bags are often ingested by turtles and dolphins and block the airways and stomachs of many other species, says a United Nations paper.

In Iraq which has suffered four decades of conflict and years of political and economic turmoil separating and recycling waste has yet to become a priority for most people.

The country also lacks proper infrastructure for waste collection and disposal, said Azzam Alwash, head of the non-governmental group Nature Iraq.

There are no environmentally friendly landfills and plastic recycling is not economically viable, he said.

Most garbage ends up in open dumps where it is burned, sending plumes of acrid smoke into the air.

This happens in Iraqs southern Mesopotamian Marshes, one of the worlds largest inland deltas, which Saddam once had largely drained. They were named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2016, both for their biodiversity and ancient history.

Today a round-the-clock fire outside the town of Souq al-Shuyukh, which is the gateway to the marshes, burns thousands of tonnes of garbage under the open sky, sending white smoke drifting many kilometres away.

Open burning of waste is a source of air pollution, and the real cost is the shortening of Iraqi lives, said Alwash.But the state has no money to build recycling facilities.

Even worse is the air pollution caused by flaring burning off the gas that escapes during oil extraction.

This toxic cocktail has contributed to a rise in respiratory illnesses and greenhouse gas emissions, a phenomenon the UNs climate experts have voiced alarm about.

Environment Minister Jassem al-Falahi admitted in comments to the official news agency INA that waste incinerations toxic gases affect peoples lives and health.

But so far there have been few government initiatives to tackle Iraqs environmental woes, and so projects like the Tigris cleanup are leading the way for now.

Ali, the volunteer, hopes that their effort will have a more long-term effect by helping to change attitudes.

Some people have stopped throwing their waste on the street, he said, and some have even joined us.

by Ammar Karim

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Genting-Linked Treasure Island in Macau Sees Man Jump to His… – Casino.Org News

Posted: March 17, 2022 at 2:44 am

Posted on: March 15, 2022, 10:34h.

Last updated on: March 15, 2022, 06:07h.

The Treasure Island Resort World in Macau is still under construction, but is already dealing with a tragedy. The property, which Genting Hong Kong previously backed, is a crime scene following a mans apparent suicide there today.

The Macau News Agency reports that the Macau Firefighter Corps received a report at about 9:30 local time this morning. It indicated that a man was calling for help and was asking for a team of crisis negotiators to arrive on the scene.

A 50-year-old man, who was not identified, died today after apparently jumping from the top of the Treasure Island resort. The property, still under construction in Nam Vam Lake, is unique to Macau in that its development does not include a casino.

Police officers and members of the negotiation group arrived and started to talk to the man, who had climbed to the rooftop of the unfinished building. He suddenly bowed before the crowd at around 11:10 and it was apparent he was going to jump.

Firefighters rushed forward to help, but he didnt give them a chance. He leaped to his death, with the entire incident caught on camera.

After some searching, rescue personnel found the mans lifeless body in bamboo scaffolding located between the 13th and 14th floors. They retrieved him and transported him to the Conde S. Januario Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.

Reports indicate that the man was not an employee in the construction of the resort. However, not much else is known. An investigation is underway to determine his identity and to unravel the circumstances that may have led him to commit suicide.

Treasure Island, which was initially expected to open this June, is a unique property in Macau. It is among the first not to include a casino. This is in keeping with the Chinese national policy for Macau to diversify local tourism and move away from gambling.

Treasure Island covers an area measuring 8,100 square meters (87,187 square feet) at a cost of approximately MOP4.7 million (US$583.8 million). It will be 70 meters (229 feet) tall and include 600 rooms in total.

Genting Hong Kong sold its interests in the complex in 2021 for US$95.85 million. At the time, the company planned on focusing on its cruise business. Unfortunately, that didnt work out.

The property is preparing to enter trial operations this October, with a planned launch in December. It will offer a number of non-gaming amenities, including a UFC fitness center, an Under Armour store, a Beebeeland gaming center, and a Five Guys restaurant.

Treasure Island will also have open-air, Japanese-style hot springs, a first in Macau.

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About 860 Macau residents granted residence in Taiwan in 2021 – Macau Business

Posted: at 2:44 am

A total of 861 Macau residents were granted residence in Taiwan in 2021, with 91 granted permanent residence, according to information from the islands Ministry of the Interior.

The number represented a 14 per cent decrease from the previous year, with the number of Macau SAR residents receiving a residence permit in Taiwan decreasing steadily since 2016.

An opposite trend was reported in the number of Hong Kong residents granted residence in Taiwan, which has more than doubled in the last two years and reached a record high of 11,173 in 2021.

Last year Taiwanese authorities announced that they planned to ease certain restrictions on residence permit extensions for people from Hong Kong and Macau, and make it easier for those with masters and doctoral degrees from the two territories to qualify for registered permanent residence.

One of the planned changes, which applies to people from Hong Kong and Macau who are studying or working in Taiwan, will allow them to apply to extend their residence permit and entry permit for necessary reasons, including finding a job.

According to information from the Macau Labour Affairs Bureau, as of the end of 2021 a total of 873 Taiwanese held non-resident work residence permits in the SAR, less 21 per cent than the previous year, with more than half engaged in the hotel and gaming sectors.

Meanwhile, trade value between Macau and Taiwan reached US$117 million, almost all exports to the SAR, and a 21 per cent rise from the previous year

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Dragon Boat Races might be locals-only this year – Macau Daily Times

Posted: at 2:44 am

Once an international-level event, this years Dragon Boat Races might be exclusively a local event, without even the participation of mainland teams, the Sports Bureau (ID) president, Pun Weng Kun, hinted during a press conference held yesterday to launch the event.

Remarking on the participation of non-local teams from the event, Pun said that although the participation of six mainland teams in total is expected, the final number depends on the mainlands Covid-19 pandemic situation.

We hope that we will be able to invite [] six teams from the mainland [this year], but this will depend on the pandemic situation, Pun said, remarking that, at this point, it is not clear whether any of them can join the event or not.

There definitely wont be teams invited from any other countries or regions, except mainland China, Pun confirmed when questioned on the possibility of the participation of teams from Hong Kong or Taiwan.

The event will follow the same schedule and format as the previous iteration of the competition, a format in place since 2020 due to pandemic restrictions.

The competition will be held over two days: May 29 and June 3. The first day will include races dedicated to the smaller boats, while on the second day, the standard dragon boats will take to the waters of the Nam Van Lake to paddle for victory.

Additionally, as has become a tradition, a series of activities including parades, performances and booths for the sale of creative products will be held at the Nam Van Nautical Center area.

The ID president did not make it clear whether this years races will allow spectators on the stands. Questioned on the topic on the sidelines of the press conference, Pun said, We are currently evaluating the situation. It will ultimately depend on the pandemic situation [at the time].

Similar to requirements for other sporting events, participants in the Macao International Dragon Boat Races must be fully vaccinated with two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine, with the last dose to have been administered at least 14 days before the start of the practice sessions. Additionally, participants will also have to undergo a nucleic acid test valid for both the practice sessions and the race day.

As in previous years, team applications will be limited across the six categories including the Macao Small Boat Race (48 teams for the Open Category and 18 teams for the Womens Category), Macao Government Departments Small Boat Race (12 teams), Macao University Students Small Boat Race (10 teams) and Macao Standard Dragon Boat Race (36 teams for the Open Category and 10 teams for the Womens Category).

Registrations can be lodged online at http://www.cmdragonboat.org.mo from 11 a.m. on March 21 until 1 p.m. on March 26. Team registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis and no supplementary slots will be added.

Teams must submit their team members information by 1 p.m. on April 30.

33 Basketball to return this year

Questioned by the media on the progress of other sports events being organized in Macau this year, the ID president said that the bureau has been in negotiations with interested parties so that the 33 basketball, launched for the first time in November last year, can also return this year.

We want that 33 basketball tournament to return this year. It was very well received last year and proven to be very popular among locals and tourists. But we need some time to negotiate the details, Pun said, adding that the bureau is keen to find sports events that allow the participation of local athletes or teams so Macau can be represented in the event.

Last year the 33 basketball tournament was initially expected to take place in early October, but was postponed to late November due to a Covid-19 outbreak.

Preparations are also ongoing for the Macau Grand Prix event, Pun added.

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Three weeks of war in Ukraine – Macau Business

Posted: at 2:44 am

Russia invaded Ukraine in the early hours of February 24, setting off the worst conflict in Europe in decades.

As the fighting enters its 21st day we look back on the conflict that jolted the post-Cold War world order.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announces a special military operation to demilitariseand de-nazify the former Soviet state and support Moscow-backed separatists in the east. He warns the international community against intervening.

A full-scale invasion starts with air and missile strikes on several cities.

Ukrainian forces put up stronger-than-expected resistance, frustrating Russian plans for a lightning takeover.

President Volodymyr Zelensky gains instant hero status in Ukraine and abroad by vowing to stay put in Kyiv and lead the resistance.

The West weighs in with unprecedented sanctions against Russia and military aid for Ukraine.

Air spaces are closed to Russian aircraft and Russia is kicked out of one sporting and cultural event after another, including the World Cup. Major companies start to shut up shop in Russia.

With his troops quickly getting bogged down, Putin puts Russias nuclear forces on high alert on February 27, citing aggressive statements by NATO members and the financial sanctions.

The dramatic move, which draws comparisons with the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, is seen as a warning to NATO not to intervene.

During the first talks between Kyiv and Moscow on February 28, Russia sets out its demands, including the recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea, the demilitarisation and de-nazification of the Ukrainian state and the guarantee of its neutrality.

As the talks are ongoing Russian rockets pound civilian areas of Ukraines second city Kharkiv. Zelensky makes an impassioned appeal for immediate EU membership.

The shelling seen in Kharkiv spreads elsewhere. On March 1, satellite images show a massive Russian column bearing down on Kyiv. But it makes slow progress.

Russian troops have far more success in the south, where they lay siege to the strategic port of Mariupol, putting Moscow closer to linking up territory held by pro-Russian rebels with the peninsula of Crimea, which it seized from Ukraine and annexed in 2014.

The southern city of Kherson falls and on March 4, Russian troops take over Europes biggest nuclear power station at Zaporizhzhia.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg rejects Kyivs call for a no-fly zone over Ukraine, saying it would lead to a wider war in Europe.

On March 4, Russia enacts a new law punishing fake news about what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine with jail terms of up to 15 years.

Many international media organisations suspend their coverage from Russia, where more than 13,500 anti-war protesters are arrested.

The first of several attempts to evacuate residents freezing and hungry in the besieged southern port of Mariupol falls apart in a flurry of mutual finger-pointing by Moscow and Kyiv.

Ukraine and the UN reject Moscows offer to create humanitarian corridors to Russia or its ally Belarus.

After days of stop-start progress, evacuations finally gather pace, with tens of thousands civilians escaping the northeastern city of Sumy and suburbs of Kyiv on March 8.

In a bid to starve Moscow of funds for the war US President Joe Biden announces a ban on US imports of Russian oil and gas. The EU says it will cut its imports of Russian gas by two-thirds and Britain says it will phase out its Russian oil imports.

An attack on a maternity hospital in Mariupol, which wounded 17 people, including a heavily pregnant woman, causes international outrage. Moscow says the attack was staged.

The war inches closer to the border with Poland, a NATO member, when 35 people are killed and more than 130 injured in air strikes on a military training ground outside the city of Lviv.

Mariupol finally gets some relief, with more than 160 cars driving out of the city in a convoy on March 14.

In a sign of cracks in domestic support for the war, a Russian journalist interrupts the countrys most-watched evening news broadcast to hold up a sign reading No War.

As central Kyiv comes under fire and the two sides engage in a fifth round of talks, both Russia and Ukraine begin to sound more positive about the chances of a peace deal.

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Prosperity Indices expected to rise from February to May – Macau Daily Times

Posted: at 2:44 am

The Macau Economic Association (MEA) has estimated that the Prosperity Indices will see rise in the period from February to May, according to a statement released by the association.

The MEA issues monthly statements alongside its estimates for the Prosperity Index. It also announces the figures for months the indices of which have been confirmed.

Its latest estimates for the citys Prosperity Indices range from 2.8 points in February to 3.0 points in May. Despite the estimated rise, the indices will still be within the unsatisfactory range.

The Prosperity Index for January has now been confirmed at 2.8 points.

The MEA noted several uncertainties surrounding the recovery of the citys economy. It noted that, despite a slight slowing in the rise of Covid-19 cases around the world, tourists remain wary of travel because of unstable pandemic conditions in nearby regions, keeping Macaus tourist arrival counts at a relatively low level.

In addition, the share prices of the six casino operators, which are significant in determining the citys Prosperity Index, recently plummeted, dampening the forecasts of the Prosperity Indices.

Another factor is that demand for labor is still running low, with the local unemployment rate rising for three months in a row. Combined with weak consumer confidence in mainland China, the indices for the first two months of the year were calculated to be 2.8 points.

External uncertainties, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, are also affecting the citys economic recovery. These affect energy, food and major resources, as both countries are large exporters of goods. After the outbreak of war, prices for food, metal and energy have gone up, the MEA noted, causing global concern about inflation.

The invasion has also caused fluctuations in the price of petroleum, which went up to USD139 per barrel for a period of time. The US Consumer Price Index for February, meanwhile, has increased 7.9% year-on-year and 0.4% month-on-month, a height not reached in four decades.

News about U.S. plans to increase interest rates to 0.5%, if realized, will certainly affect Macaus own interest rates and flow of funds.

With an economy heavily reliant on imports, the MEA expects that global instability will eventually impact Macaus economy.

Moreover, as Macau relies heavily on tourists from Guangdong and Hong Kong, the new outbreaks of Covid-19 in these places are certain to affect Macaus tourism industry.

The MEA therefore estimates that the citys Prosperity Indices will remain at an unsatisfactory level.

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128 Cuban protesters given sentences of 6 to 30 years – Macau Business

Posted: at 2:43 am

A group of 128 Cubans who took part in unprecedented anti-government protests last July were sentenced to prison terms ranging from six to 30 years, the Supreme Court said Wednesday.

In trials held in mid-December, 129 Cubans were accused of committing and provoking serious disturbances and acts of vandalism while participating in the protests, the court said in a statement.

Of the defendants, 128 were found guilty of sedition and theft, according to the statement. Two were sentenced to 30 years in prison.

The court did not give the ages of those convicted. It said the protesters overturned vehicles and threw stones, bottles and Molotov cocktails at police and Interior Ministry agents.

Thousands of Cubans demonstrated in numerous towns and cities across the island nation demanding freedom as the country reeled from its worst economic crisis for almost 30 years.

The response by security forces left one dead, dozens injured and more than 1,300 people detained.

In late January, authorities admitted that more than 700 people had been charged and 172 already convicted over the protests.

On March 10, 12 of the protesters were sentenced to between five and 16 years in prison, convicted of sabotage, public disorder and theft.

In addition to the pair jailed for 30 years according to the court statement, another 125 people were sentenced to between six and 26 years in prison, while one defendant received four years of correctional work without internment, and one was acquitted. They are allowed to appeal their sentences.

Miami-based NGO Cubalex has criticized the long sentences imposed on protesters and claims they have been denied their right to a fair trial.

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