Due to lack of suitable places, with chair and desk, in the main room of the Beja Court, Twelve of the twenty lawyers participating in the investigative debate of a mega human trafficking case were placed in the “dock” today so they could defend their clients.
The additional interrogation of 14 Defendants, thirteen natural persons and one legal entity, which took place last Friday, took place in the Noble Hall of the former Civil Government of Beja, which at the end of this afternoon will be busy with the holding of a session of the Municipal Assembly of Beja (WITH), led to the move to the court building.
Opened in June 1951, almost 73 year old, in view of the disposition of the Judges, Public Prosecutor, court officials, witnesses, translators, the main room of the Beja Alberta Court building with “very good will” between six and eight lawyers in the space dedicated to their work.
Like tomorrow, 26 March, The deadline for knowing the instructional decision ends, in view of the end of the deadline to keep twenty-six defendants in pre-trial detention and five under house arrest and have to release them, the Criminal Investigation Judge of the Court of Generic Competence of Cuba had no alternative other than to place lawyers “in the dock”.
Pedro Pestana, lawyer representing six of the fifty-one defendants in the case, appeared caustic about the situation: “the hearing room does not meet the minimum working conditions. Space does not at all accommodate a task of this nature.. Lawyers are obliged to work directly in the dock and defendants in the usual public places.”, finished.
In the morning the defendants who wanted to give statements were heard and in the afternoon the lawyers' arguments were taking place, It is credible that even today some changes in coercive measures for defendants in preventive or home detention are known.
Teixeira Correia
(journalist)
