No hoarding allowed

I don’t know about you, but we keep an emergency food supply on hand, just in case.

Imagine if the government told you how much food you could own, and put you in prison for “hoarding” if you exceeded some arbitrarily determined amount.

That’s the reality in Cuba: (Sorry I don't have the link, it's subscription only)

Cuban courts punish 85 for hoarding, other crimes after storms

Havana, Oct 12 (EFE) - Courts in Havana have imposed punishment ranging from prison time to fines on 85 people for "hoarding, theft, undue appropriation and other illegal activities" in the wake of the hurricanes that recently hit the island, the official press reported Sunday.

City of Havana People's Court Chief Judge Armando Torres told the weekly Tribuna that punishment was meted out to the "authors of serious lack of social discipline, speculators and resellers of food and essential articles" after Hurricanes Ike and Gustav hit the island.

Hurricane Ike, which battered the island Sept. 7-9, and Gustav, which hit western Cuba on Aug. 30, wiped out hundreds of thousands of hectares of farmland, damaged or destroyed 500,000 dwellings and caused total losses of more than $5 billion, according to the Cuban government.

The punishment ranges "from deprivation of freedom for the authors of serious crimes, as repeat offenders, to correctional work, with or without confinement, and fines," the judge said.

The Cuban government said Sept. 29 that it would punish speculators and those who hoarded food in the wake of the natural disasters.

Police have launched operations in recent weeks targeting the sale on the black market of all types of products, seizing property and arresting numerous suspects.

EFE rmo/hv

Cuban authorities justify this repressive action as being for the good of "the people", but only castro inc. benefits.

Posted by Ziva at October 14, 2008 03:58 PM

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Posted by: Henry Agueros at October 14, 2008 04:53 PM

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