Trials Fact Sheet

 

 

The following information should be included on your fact sheet:

 

 

1. Trial Name:  Crown vs. Fidel Castro

 

2. Trial Date:  June 14th 2007

 

3. a) Your Name:  Bianca Viktoria Svetanic

 

b) Prosecution Lawyers:  Kelly Coons, Jen Doyle, Michelle Edwards

 

c) Defense Lawyers: Bianca Svetanic, Holly Foster, Tyler Shantz

 

 

4. Your Opening Statement

Honorable judge Melnyk and fellow jury members, today I will prove to you beyond a reasonable doubt that Fidel Castro is not guilty. The charge that is laid down today is that Fidel Castro’s leadership made citizens want to leave the country, but that in fact is false. The truth lies behind former President of Cuba, Fulgencio Batista. On several accounts, Castro's forces scored a series of victories, aided by the corruption of Batista's leading army officers and massive desertions. During this period, the U.S. broke off relations with Batista, stating that a peaceful transition to a new government was necessary and imposed an embargo preventing Batista from acquiring American arms. My witness today will testify and provide you evidence that Mr. Castro was not the one to push his people away, it was Fulgencio himself that committed that act. Once again I state to you that my client is not guilty on all charges brought to the court today. Thank you.

 

 

5. Your Charge

Since Fidel Castro has been in power he has pushed the Cubans away from Cuba.

I argue in his defense

 

 

6. Arguments / Evidence proving the charge:

- Fidel Castro has provided so much for his people including a literacy rate of over 98%, as well as free health care for all

- It is not easy for a leader to completely start fresh when he/ she first comes into power because if the previous president leaved a mess that is hard to clean, there will be obstacles on the way for the new leader.

-Fulgencio Batista is responsible for ruining Cuba even before Castro got into power. He started gambling rings, and took all the profit people made and bathed in the riches while others were poor.

 

7. a) Your Witness:  Fulgencio Batista (character’s name) played by

         Brigit Fry (student’s name)

 

b) Information / Arguments/ Evidence / Questions for witness

Please state your name and position to the Court.

 

My name is Fulgencio Batista and I was a former dictator to the Cuban community.

I was also the de facto military leader in Cuba from 1933 to 1940

 

Can you explain why your testimony is credible today?

 

To be quite clear with you, I was the former leader prior to Fidel Castro’s ruling. I have lived to see what Mr. Castro has done, and I am able to disclose to you many of the incidents that have occurred that included Fidel Castro presence while I was in power. Also, I was the union leader of the Cuban soldiers, and the leader of the 1933 "Sergeants' Revolt."

Do you recognize this gentleman over here?

Yes it is very visible that this is Fidel Castro

What is your relation to Mr. Castro?

I would have to say that Fidel was one of my main opponents running for presidency. It always seemed that he didn’t like my ideas, so he tried to throw me out of power several times. I’d say it’s a love-hate kind of relationship.

Mr. Batista would you please state the social conditions of Cuba while you were in power?

(Read this Quote)

“In a rigged election in November 1954, Batista was "re-elected" for a 4-year term. This time he neglected social and economic problems, and corruption and graft reached unprecedented proportions”

At this time I assured the population that I was attempting to institute economic reforms and bring an end to the rampant corruption within the government. The Cuban people were in a position where they desired a “strong” government to restore the law and order. They were too demoralized and disorganized to resist such a military coup. So to answer your question; the social conditions of Cuba were not so great.

 

Would there be any reason as to why people fled Cuba during your time as President?

(Read this Quote)

“At that time under the leadership of General Fulgencio Batista, Cuba was a place where gambling, corruption and prostitution were the order of the day and many powerful Mafia chieftains had considerable financial investments there. So, many wanted to move the country away from being a playground for the rich and the Mafia.”

I opened the way for large-scale gambling in Havana, and I reorganized the Cuban state so that my political appointees and I could harvest the nation's riches. There was an announcement that I made that said that my government would match, dollar for dollar, any hotel investment over $1 million, which would include a casino license, and Lansky became the center of the entire Cuban gambling operation. I saw this as an opportunity to give a boost to the Cuban economy. At this time I had no intention of harming Cuba, but as time progressed and the gambling continued crime rates skyrocketed, so that is why many of my people were pushed away.

Mr. Batista would you answer me with full credibility that this number I am about to give you is true?

“Crowning the whole system was the dictatorship of the gangster Batista. It was estimated that between his second seizure of power in 1953 and his overthrow in 1959, upwards of 20,000 died at the hands of his soldiers and torturers.”

 

Yes this amount died while I was President of Cuba.

 

8. a) Cross Examination of witness for opposition:  Charles Bettelheim (character’s name) played by Alina Tharini (student’s name)

 

b) Information / Arguments/ Evidence / Questions for witness

- Charles Bettelheim may have not been the most credible witness.

- It seemed that he had a natural bias towards the communist party, considering that during his stay in Moscow he said slanderous remarks to the communist party which forced them to kick him out.

- Charles doesn’t realize that the sugar plantations are doing well for the Cuban community, and that sometimes you can’t force a democracy onto countries that aren’t capable of having one.

- Formed a bias towards the communist party and therefore bias to Fidel Castro the Cuban Communist leader

- Fidel Castro didn’t originally want communism

 

9.  Examination of Historical Figure:  Information / Arguments / Evidence / Questions for Prime Minister

- Fidel Castro provided so much for his people (Free healthcare system, better education system and facilities, and many more jobs)

- The United States posed sanctions on Cuba, therefore discouraging Castro because there was so much potential for their country to be even more successful then they already are if they traded with the United States.

- United States Airplanes over Cuba posed a threat to their nation

- Castro was a good man that wanted good things for his people; it is not his fault that the previous leader made such a catastrophe. So it was hard for Fidel to pick it up from there

 

10.  Closing Statement

Judge Melnyk, fellow jury members and others witnessing this trial today. The facts and witness that I have brought to the court today should be more than enough proof for you to believe that my client Fidel Castro is not guilty on any charges. Castro is a leader that offers very much to his country. We must look at the previous leader that led Cuba into disaster Fulgencio Batista who killed over 20,000 people over his short time ruling, providing his country with gambling rings and higher violence rates. During Fidel Castro’s time he provided his people with free health care and brought up the literacy rate to 98% or more. It is not easy for someone to turn their country around when all that was left was hardship and disaster. As we come to a close to this trial, please find my client Fidel Castro not guilty on any of the charges brought to you today. Thank you.

 

11.  Works Cited List

 

Dolgoff, Sam . The Cuban Revolution. 2007. 8 June 2007 <http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/anarchist_archives/bright/dolgoff/cubanrevolution/chapter8.html>.

 

History. Fulgencio Batista. 2007. 8 June 2007 <http://www.historyofcuba.com/history/batista.htm>.

 

Kosmas, Tsokhas. "Forest Development in North America Following Major Disturbances." The Political Economy of Cuban Dependence on the Soviet Union 9.2 (2007): 319-362.

 

 

Rohan.stdu. Cuba. Mar. 1999. 8 June 2007 <http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~snapcook/latin/cuba.html>.

 

Think Quest. Fulgencio Batista. 2007. 8 June 2007 <http://library.thinkquest.org/18355/fulgencio_batista.html>.

Varlet, Claude ., and George Gruenthal. Economism and Historical Idealism. Sep. 2001. 8 June 2007 <http://www.revolutionarydemocracy.org/rdv7n2/varlet.htm>.

 

WorldSOC. Cuba: Socialism and Democracy. Mar. 2007. 8 June 2007 <http://www.socialistworld.net/publications/Cuba/cuapp1.html>.