Cuban Volleyball Team Rape Conviction Stirs Censorship Critiques
A court in Finland found five members of the Cuban national volleyball team guilty of raping a woman in their hotel during a Volleyball World League tournament in the city of Tampere. On September 20, the judge handed down five-year sentences in a Finnish prison to four of the accused men and a three-and-a-half year sentence to the fifth member, in addition to $27,000 in compensation. According to the BBC, the victim stated that she met one of the players in a nightclub and returned with him to his hotel room where they had consensual sex. Afterwards, the Cuban athlete allegedly texted his teammates who then came to the room, cornered her, prevented her from leaving, and raped her.
The victim immediately reported the assault to the Finnish police, who detained and questioned the team on July 2, the day after the alleged rape. Officers found two of the athletes to be innocent of wrongdoing and released them, while a third was acquitted of all charges during the trial. Despite claims that their activities had been consensual, the men were deemed guilty due to the contradictions in the individual accounts of the night.
It is unclear if the men will appeal the court’s decision, but for now, the case has renewed discussion and reignited tensions surrounding government censorship and secrecy in Cuba.
On July 5, the Cuban Volleyball Association officially condemned the athletes for betraying the values of Cuban athletes, but drew criticism from members of the political opposition who accused the government and associated media of misleading the Cuban public by not reporting the nature of the crime that was committed. Granma, an official Cuban government news source, released a second statement on September 20, following the players’ sentencing. Their attempt to cover up the crime by burying the story in obscure locations online and in the print edition drew accusations yet again.
With Wi-Fi becoming more accessible for Cuban citizens, government censorship is growing easier to spot, further complicating the Castro regime’s attempt to navigate the evolving social and economic waters of Cuba without political upheaval.