Cuba Impose Sentences on Nearly 400 Demonstrators on Last Year's Anti-Government Protests

The government of Cuba imposed sentences on nearly 400 people who participated in the July 11 and 12's anti-government protests that occurred last year.

According to Al Jazeera, at least 381 people received the sentences from Cuba who took to the streets of Havana and other towns to call on the island's government over several issues.

The Attorney General's Office said in a statement that of that number, at least 297 were sentenced to between five and 25 years of jail time for crimes of sedition, sabotage, robbery with force, and public disorder.

The prosecutor's office noted that 84 people, including 15 young people, were not given sentences. However, they were given the option to commute their sentences with community service, France 24 reported.

Those who received sentences on Monday include at least 16 young people aged 16 to 18.

Cubans legally reach their adulthood at 18 years old, However, the island's criminal responsibility is applied at the age of 16.

"The Attorney General's Office continues to inform the public about the legal response to the events of July 11, 2021, which attacked the constitutional order and the stability of our socialist state," the statement from the office reads.

The office also warned about tougher sentences that will be imposed on those who will breach their sanctions or who will engage in criminal offenses.

Other People Charged in Cuba Over Protests

In January, prosecutors in Cuba announced that at least 790 people were charged in connection to last year's protests on the island.

Some of the individuals charged in January could face up to 30 years of imprisonment if they are convicted.

The nearly 800 people charged in January faced charges of sedition, public disorder, theft, violent attacks, and other crimes.

Prosecutors in Cuba previously said that crimes of sedition have "severe penalties," but the consequences to be given to the demonstrators will correspond to the level of violence they demonstrated.

The U.S. Embassy in Cuba slammed the island's for the hundreds of charges announced in January, calling them "unconscionable."

"They will not be able to crush the people's demands for a better future. We are all listening to the families when they are speaking about these violations of justice," the U.S. Embassy noted during that time.

What Caused Cuba's Protests?

According to Associated Press, the protests on the island erupted over the people's demand on shortages of food, medicines, and repeated electricity outages.

There were also calls for political change, as well as a faster pace of vaccinations.

Meanwhile, Cuba's government blames the hardships experienced by the island on the U.S. sanctions that cost the island to lose billions.

The government of Cuba has committed a crackdown on the protests, but their method prompted condemnation from rights groups.

In October, the Human Rights Watch accused Havana of "systematically engaging in arbitrary detention, ill-treatment of detainees, and abuse-ridden criminal prosecutions.

"Peaceful protesters and other critics have been systematically detained, held incommunicado and abused in horrendous conditions, and subjected to sham trials," Juan Pappier, the group's senior Americas researcher said in a statement.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written By: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Inside The Anti-Government Protests in Cuba - From NBC News