Panama seeks options for seven detainees in Cuba to serve possible sentences at home

Panama is looking for a legal route that could bring seven citizens detained in Cuba closer to their families if Cuban courts eventually convict them. The Foreign Ministry says any sentence would first have to be handed down through Cuba’s judicial process.

Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha Vásquez met the detainees’ relatives on Wednesday as part of the government’s continuing diplomatic and consular follow-up. He said Panama was supporting the citizens and their families while respecting the legal procedures of Cuban authorities.

“Panama is doing everything necessary to accompany our citizens. We have to respect Cuban laws because they are in Cuban territory, but that does not mean Panama will stop assisting them and safeguarding their rights,” Martínez-Acha Vásquez said.

The minister said officials were working on legal alternatives that could allow the seven to serve a possible sentence in Panama. Such a transfer would require procedures agreed by both countries, compliance with Cuban legislation and the applicable legal instruments.

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Panama is doing everything necessary to accompany our citizens. We have to respect Cuban laws because they are in Cuban territory, but that does not mean Panama will stop assisting them and safeguarding their rights.

“We are working to find all the legal alternatives that would allow these citizens, if there is a conviction, to serve it in Panama and be close to their families. It is a process that requires time, coordination and, above all, respect for the law,” he said.

The ministry and Panama’s embassy in Cuba are monitoring the case. President José Raúl Mulino is also following it, according to the minister. A possible trip by Martínez-Acha Vásquez to Cuba was discussed, although it depends on whether the necessary conditions can be arranged. Panama is also assessing ways to send medicines and other supplies to the detainees.

The seven have been held in Cuba since February in an investigation related to alleged propaganda against Cuba’s constitutional order. The names listed are José Luis Aguirre Baruco, Patrochiny Jerodany Joseph Arisarena, Omar Gilberto Urriola Vergara, Víctor Manuel Pinzón Cedeño and Anthony Williams Jules.

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We are working to find all the legal alternatives that would allow these citizens, if there is a conviction, to serve it in Panama and be close to their families. It is a process that requires time, coordination and, above all, respect for the law.