They followed a speech by President Fidel Castro in January 1999, when he expressed the hope that judges would not hesitate to use the death penalty since stronger measures were needed to combat crime Death sentences in Cuba are sometimes carried out within weeks of trial judgment. Trials for such cases take place at the Tribunales Provinciales Populares , People's Provincial Courts. Condemned prisoners then appeal automatically against their death sentences at the People's Supreme Court, Tribunal Supremo Popular . If that court upholds the sentence, it must then go to Cuba's ruling Council of State, Consejo de Estado , which can either ratify the death sentence or grant clemency. Clemency consists of commutation to imprisonment for a maximum of 30 years.
Execution is by firing squad.
The death penalty cannot be passed on people under 20 years of age or on women who were pregnant at the time when the offence took place or at the time of sentencing. However, detailed information, such as the charges and dates of execution, is difficult to obtain since the government does not normally publish this kind of information and there are severe restrictions on human rights monitoring and freedom of speech. Date of execution not known. Both were executed on 26 March 1999, charged with murder and the possession of illegal weapons. They were charged with a series of murders and the possession of illegal weapons.