An Independent Legal Group Files a Habeas Corpus Petition on behalf of El Sexto

An Independent Legal Group Files a Habeas Corpus Petition on behalf of
El Sexto / 14ymedio
Posted on January 4, 2015

14YMEDIO, Havana, 29 December 2014 — On Monday, the independent group
CubaLex filed a petition for habeas corpus in the case of artist Danilo
Maldonado, El Sexto. In a document addressed to the Provincial Tribunal
of Hanvana, the lawyers urge that the arrestee's rights be respected and
also that he be permitted a proper defense. Police have informed the
relatives of the prisoner that all trials scheduled for the upcoming
days, including that of the artist initially scheduled for next
Wednesday, the last day of 2014, are delayed until the new year.

El Sexto was arrested December 25 shortly before carrying out a
performance which consisted of releasing two pigs with the names of
"Fidel and Raul" in a public square. He is charged with contempt.

Although the artist had told several friends of his desire to keep the
exact date of the performance discreet, the police managed to find out
and stopped the car in which he was traveling to the site. At first he
was taken to the 4th Precinct Police Station at Infanta and Manglar, and
then they transferred him to Zapata and C Station in Vedado, where he
remains now.

Lawyer Laritza Diversent in conversation with 14ymedio has emphasized
that she believes that "in this case they chose the date of December 31
with a malevolent intention because it is difficult to find a lawyer who
wants to participate in a trial." Nevertheless, Cubalex is advising El
Sexto's relatives to hire a lawyer from a collective firm as soon as
possible. If they do not manage it in the next few hours, El Sexto would
run the risk of being tried without the presence of his defender.

Habeas corpus is a legal institution that seeks to "prevent arbitrary
arrests and detentions." Its fundamental principal is the obligation to
bring all arrestees before a judge within a short time period. In the
case of El Sexto, today, Monday, marks four days since his arrest and
incarceration.

Translated by MLK

Source: An Independent Legal Group Files a Habeas Corpus Petition on
behalf of El Sexto / 14ymedio | Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/habeas_corpus_for_el_sexto/