Dec 12, 2007, 18:23 GMT
Havana - A Cuban court sentenced a young man to four years in jail for breaking a bus window, Cuban media reported Wednesday.
The reports said the court considered the man guilty of ‘high social danger’ and of having caused financial damages. Because of the defendant’s actions, the bus missed nine trips and failed to provide its services to 1,923 people, the Communist Party daily Granma said.
The harshness of the penalty apparently has to do with the growing anger of Cuban youths over the economic situation on the communist island, according to observers. Their frustration is directed among other things to the buses that Cuba recently bought from China.
In recent months, there has been an increase in the number of attacks on the new buses, and Granma had already reported in the past that Cuban authorities had taken measures to fight vandalism against the new vehicles.

Deutsche Presse-Agentur

Interesting that a broken window would cause the bus to miss nine stops. I’m guessing that has more to do with the Cuban government than with the damage to the bus.

even in Toronto, if a city bus gets into even a minor fender bender (i was on one recently), it has to sit at the scene of the accident until both transit corp supervisor and police attend to the scene…  can easily be an hour before bus continues.  Am sure many American cities have similar rules.
But if a young person breaks a bus window, might geet 6 months probation and damages to pay - nothing stronger than that….