The oral hearing against Manzaneda will be held on Thursday at Madrid’s Criminal Court 31, after being accused of “serious insults and slander and a crime of hate” by the president of the NGO Prisoners Defenders, Javier Larrondo (an open opponent of the Cuban Revolution).

The former director of Le Monde Diplomatique and professor of Communication Theory Ignacio Ramonet expressed his solidarity with Manzaneda and the Euskadi-Cuba association, which at the time was the legal representative of Cubainformación.

“You can disagree with a government, even break diplomatic relations, but not punish an entire population, prevent them from accessing essential services (…) and for Cubaingencia to disseminate data, facts and news about it seems not only normal to us but a mission that must be supported in all circumstances, in the name of humanity,” Ramonet said.

The Coordinator of Development NGOs of Euskadi, in turn, showed its support for one of its members, Euskadi-Cuba, in a statement.

He described the trial as “an intoxication operation, an attempt to destroy the solidarity work of development cooperation by an NGO, whose projects benefit thousands of families in Cuba, and an exercise to intimidate critical journalism (like the one done by Cubainformación).

Meanwhile, the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) reaffirmed its support for Manzaneda, Cubaingencia and Euskadi-Cuba.

“The PCE rejects this campaign of judicial persecution that seeks to end solidarity with Cuba. At the same time, it encourages people to attend the calls in solidarity with Manzaneda and with Cubaingencia, especially on February 15, the day of the trial,” he added.

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