Take two minutes during the Amnesty Concert and save a Cuban musician

Gorki faces 10 years in prison for his political lyrics

Tonight the world over human rights defenders and music lovers are following the #AmnestyConcert in New York City where Madonna and members of Pussy Riot will be participating. Down south past Key West in Havana, Cuba a punk rocker, Gorki Luis Águila Carrasco, who defended the members of Pussy Riot when they were locked up in a Russian prison faces a trial next Tuesday at 8:30am and faces a 10 year prison sentence. There is a petition circulating calling for his immediate freedom. Please demonstrate your solidarity and sign it.

While enjoying the concert take 2 minutes and help save a musician

The Cuban punk rocker who is facing a summary trial for his powerful political lyrics that is being disguised by the Cuban government as a trial for a common crime involving drugs. Looking at the details, the government's case falls apart. 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.

Hello, my name is Gorki Águila, the leader of the band Porno para Ricardo, I’m here doing this video because I want to call for the solidarity of all people who want to help me this time.

The regime is trying to link me to a common crime. 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.

Another thing I wanted to say to you is that - - well, I’m an optimistic man and solely through the solidarity of all of you that we can achieve things like this that the regime not commit this injustice.

Thank you very much. Hopefully we’ll achieve it.

Below is one of the videos that has drawn the Cuban government's ire. Produced one year ago it recalls the largest anti-government protests during the Castro era with the August 5, 1994 Maleconazo were thousands of Cubans took to the streets shouting freedom and were met with massive repression and the only option was to leave the country.

Help Stop February 11 Summary Show Trial for Cuban Punk Rocker Gorki Aguila

  "Summary Trial...Injustice" - Gorki Luis Aguila Carrasco, over Facebook, February 3, 2014

 On September 30, 2013 agents of the Castro regime arrested Gorki Luis Aguila Carrasco and confiscated medication prescribed to him by a Mexican doctor for epilepsy that the Cuban punk rocker has suffered with since childhood. In a Cubanet interview on October 16, 2013 Gorki explained his situation: "I don't know what they accuse me of, nor do I have a trial date." That has now changed. On a citation for summary judgement dated January 27, 2014 Gorki is called to attend a summary trial on February 11, 2014 where he will stand as the accused. Under the rules of the game of the Castro regime he is already guilty. It is up to all of us to campaign for his freedom.

Citation for Gorki Aguila to attend summary trial on February 11, 2014

Gorki the lead singer for "Porno para Ricardo" posted the following messages over facebook along with a photo of the citation:

Citation for summary judgement...one of the many planned injustices of the regime .... For February 11 in the summary hall of Marianao.

The regime in a "prudent" way waited for the CELAC event to end in order not to have the discomfort of a media frenzy as it did in 2008.

SUMMARY TRIAL...INJUSTICE!

Gorki Luis Águila Carrasco is a Cuban punk rocker and front man for the group "Porno para Ricardo" that translates to "Porn for Richard." His music is loud, fast paced, political, and an anathema for the dictatorship in Cuba.

He has been jailed at different times for hours, days and years. In 2003 the dictatorship accused him of drug trafficking and sentenced him to four years in prison but at his summary trial no evidence was presented to back up the charges of the political police. Gorki is not a drug trafficker.

Free Muse an independent international membership organization founded in 1998 that advocates and defends freedom of expression for musicians and composers worldwide took up Gorki's plight and campaigned for his freedom. In 2008 they saved him from years in prison under the charge of social dangerousness. 

They failed to imprison him in 2008 with the dangerousness charge and have manufactured once again the drug trafficking charge used against him in 2003 and this time are using the posession of medicine prescribed by a doctor for his epilepsy. Below is a copy of the prescription and a notarized affidavit from the doctor confirming its validity.

Prescription for Gorki Aguila for medication for his epilepsy

 In Castro's totalitarian Cuba there is no such thing as a free and independent trial. Gorki's guilt and the length of his imprisonment will only be determined by the political calculations of the dictatorship. Its up to people of good will around the world to give a shout out for Gorki in order to save him again as was done in 2008.

Affidavit confirming validity of prescription

There is a petition online by Aleksandra P. from Poland on Avaaz for the freedom of Gorki below is the text in English:

On Saturday, September 30th police officers arrested Gorki Aguila. He has been suffering from epilepsy since he was a child and had with him two pills of the medication for his disease.
He has documents which prove that those medications were prescribed by a Mexican doctor. The authorities want to bring him to trial for the possession of controlled drugs in Cuba.
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.

Please sign the petition and get the word out on Gorki's plight. Help save a life.

Below one of the videos that upset the dictatorship and have led this Cuban musician to be unjustly imprisoned in the past and targeted again now.