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 The Associated Press reports that Cuba has ordered jailed punk rocker Gorki Aguila, an outspoken critic
of Fidel Castro and the communist government, to stand trial on Friday
for "social dangerousness," a charge that could carry up to four years
in prison.
Authorities arrested the 39-year-old lead singer
of Porno para Ricardo at his Havana home on Monday, shortly after the
band had completed work on a new album. Cuban law defines "social
dangerousness" as behavior contrary to "communist morality," and police
use it to detain offenders before they have a chance to commit a crime.
Performing
songs with angry lyrics that poke fun at or openly insult Fidel Castro
and his brother Raul, who became Cuba's president in February, Porno
para Ricardo is banned from official Cuban airwaves.
The
government often applies the "social dangerousness" charge in cases of
public drunkenness or as a way to keep large groups of unemployed
Cubans - or those simply skipping work - from congregating on city
streets during business hours. It is also applied to cases of drug
addiction and "anti-social behavior."
But
Aguila works for Cuba's film institute and was doing nothing out of the
ordinary when police came and took him away, his father Luis said
Wednesday.
Read the full story here.
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