A series of trials started in Cuba this week for 57 protesters involved with the massive anti-government protests on July 11 2021. Some of the defenders face up to 30 years in prison for demonstrating against the nation’s communist government despite the right to assemble and protest being protected by article 56 of the nation’s constitution. “You simply cannot protest against the regime in Cuba,” Cuban born analyst Fernando Menendez told The Epoch Times. The government scheduled a total of three trials, with 21 charged in the eastern city of Holguin, 20 in Havana, and 16 in Santa Clara. The July 2021 protests were the largest the politically embattled nation has seen in decades. Thousands of peaceful protesters took to the streets over several critical shortages—water, electricity, food, and medicine. President Miguel Mario Diaz-Canel called the unarmed demonstrators “mercenaries.” As the demonstrations commenced, Díaz-Canel urged supporters of the communist regime to fight back using …