The state controlled newspaper Granma reports that U.S. government subcontractor Alan Gross, 61, jailed for 14 months in La Habana for espionage...will soon have his day in a Cuban court.
Prosecutors reportedly will seek a 20-year sentence.
It also claimed that the Gross family, lawyer and U.S. diplomats can attend the trial.
A U.S.spokesman said: ``We deplore the Cuban government's announcement that Cuban prosecutors intend to seek a 20-year sentence against Mr. Gross. He should be home with his family now.''
COMMENT:
During my many long stretches living in Cuba, as I have blogged here, I was often shadowed by the secret police.
I was also cautioned by the many Canadians living there on other ways to behave in public.
I was told never to sit next to a child on a park bench. Indeed, I was told to get up and leave if a child sat down and engaged in conversation.
Why, I asked?
The Canadian resident said the secret police sometimes liked to set up "troublesome yumas," taking fotos of them with children so they could later claim pedophilia...with the pictures as proof!
I have also heard of many two hour trials.
Alan Gross, good luck getting a fair trial in those courts!