Free Gorki: Cuban rocker taken from his home in Havana at noon today by the police

Spread the word. Help free an artist!

On the 21st anniversary of the August 5th freedom uprising in Havana, Cuba punk rocker Gorki Aguila is taken from his home by the police at 12 noon. He is also the author of a song dedicated to the uprising titled El Maleconazo.

Please spread the word on this courageous artist and activist. It is the best way to keep him safe and to obtain his freedom.

Update: The good news is that Gorki was freed around 4:00pm and that international press picked up the story of his detention the same day. The bad news is that he has been threatened by Cuban officials that if he continues to support the Ladies in White on Sundays and attend opposition meetings at Gandhi Park he will no longer be allowed to travel outside of Cuba. This is how State Security said it to the punk rocker: "he who invites you to visit another country will have to come to look for you in a motorboat" to smuggle him out of the country. Gorki's response to the events of today and threat issued:  

"They violate all your rights one after another: the right to march peacefully, to freedom of expression, right to travel, arbitrary arrest. It is incredible all that they do in just one arrest."

 Further proof that the so-called travel reform of 2013 is cosmetic and freedom of travel remains  non-existent and subject to the arbitrary whims of the dictatorship.

Cuba: Punk rocker Gorki reportedly again faces years in prison

 

On 30 September 2013, Cuban punk rocker Gorki Luis Aguila Carrasco, lead singer of the band Porno para Ricardo, was arrested. On a citation for summary judgement dated 27 January 2014, Gorki has now been called to attend a summary trial on 11 February 2014. Exiled Cuban bloggers and reporters are all convinced that the prosecution is politically motivated.

According to the blog Notes from the Cuban Exile Quarter, Gorki faces a 10 year prison sentence for his political lyrics, though the official charges are on possession of drugs.

“Looking at the details, the government’s case falls apart,” wrote John Suarez: “Gorki is an epileptic and a doctor has prescribed medication. All of this is backed up by the prescription itself and the notarized letter by the physician. Unfortunately, in Cuba a fair trial is an impossibility but international attention and pressure can still save the day. Below is a video from Gorki explaining the need for solidarity and the danger that he faces. The video is in Spanish but beneath it is an English translation of what he is saying.”

 

Published on youtube.com on 4 February 2014

Gorki: “…I have been an opponent of the regime for a long time. They don’t miss the opportunity to try link us and discredit us in common crimes in order to silence us in some way. They are going to hold a trial on the 11th of February at 8:30am in Marianao in the hall of a trial. It is a summary trial. It is a trial that I believe is profoundly unjust because the defense does not have access to the case files of the prosecution. These types of trials are customarily done in totalitarian countries. They are extremely fast trials done in a series and are fabricated and decided beforehand. That’s why I appeal to all who want to show their solidarity because this can be very dangerous for me since they always want to find ways to jail me…”

Excerpt. Translation by Notes from the Cuban Exile Quarter

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Petition to the Minister of Justice in Cuba, Maria Esther Reus González

“The idea of silencing a man whose only crime is free expression and writing songs which lyrics are against the government is savage and unacceptable.
Hereby I call Maria Esther Reus Gonzalez, the Minister of Justice in Cuba to withdraw those absurd charges against Gorki Luis Aguila Carrasco and return him his freedom. I demand from Cuban authorities the respect of Gorki’s right to treat his disease and his basic human rights.”

» Sign the petition: avaaz.org

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» Cuban Exile Quarter – 5 February 2014:
Take two minutes during the Amnesty Concert and save a Cuban musician

» Home page of Gorki’s band:
www.pornopararicardo.info

» Profile of Gorki on Wikipedia, the open encyclopedia:
wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorki_Águila

http://freemuse.org/archives/7205