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Cuban punk rocker Gorki Aguila, who is renown for his raunchy lyrics against Fidel Castro and Cuba's communist government, was fined $28 and set free on Friday after being arrested on Monday for public disorder by playing his band's music too loud.
Following a two-hour trial, a Havana court ordered the 39-year-old musician to pay a fine the equivalent of $28 Friday after facing a possible sentence of four years in prison for charges of ''pre-crime social dangerousness," the Houston Chronicle reported.
"I am very proud of all the people who have supported me, and I feel even more hate for this tyranny," Aguila, who went to prison previously on drug charges that he said were the result of a trap by the Cuban government, told reporters upon his release.
His arrest drew international attention as he could have become the first artist to serve jail time since Raul Castro took over power from his brother Fidel two years ago, proclaiming publicly that it was time to air complaints.
Aguila's release is partly due to an investigation conducted by the Cuban Human Rights Commission who concluded that the artist had not committed any crime and should be released. Reportedly, the Commission recently issued a report confirming the Cuban Government held 219 political prisoners as well as the fact that short-term detentions for opponents of the government, such as Aguila, have been increasing since 2008.
Aguila, who is the founder and lead singer of the 10-year-old group ''Porn for Ricardo'' walks around his western Havana neighborhood with T-shirts writing things like "59: Year of the Mistake.'' Although his band's music is banned in Cuba, copies of the group's CDs are circulated underground.
According to Cuban law, people who the authorities believe have been displaying behavior that would indicate they could be on the verge of committing a crime, can be sent to prison.
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