Cuba Archive - Case 11633

Case ID: 11633

Title: N/A

First name: Luis

Last name: Barrios Díaz

Suffix: N/A

Aliases: N/A

Name also reported as: N/A

Age: 36

Gender: Male

Date of Birth: N/A

Civil Status: Unknown

Date of death/disappearance: Day:19 / Month:11 / Year:2023

Citizenship: Cuba

Last known address: Pasaje Raúl número 38, entre Hatuey y Lindero, reparto Párraga,

Last known city: Arroyo Naranjo

Last known province-TOD: Ciudad de La Habana

Last known province current: Ciudad de La Habana

Last known country: Cuba

Location death-address: Hospital Covadonga

Location of death - city: La Habana

Location of death province - at TOD: Ciudad de La Habana

Location of death province - current: Ciudad de La Habana

Location of death - country: Cuba

Trial held?: Yes

Docket Number: Causa 184 de 2021 del EFP 790 de Arroyo Naranjo, La Habana

Sentence details: 6 years of prison

Arrest or detention at time of death: Yes

Date of arrest: N/A

Imprisoned/Detained: Location: Prisión 1580, San Miguel del Padrón, Havana province

How long imprisoned/detained: Over 2 years.

Death attributed to: Castro regime

Death attribution detail: Prison authorities

Associated Event: N/A

Case description:

Political prisoner sentenced to 6 years of prison for peacefully participating in mass protests in Cuba on July 11th, 2021. He was healthy before his imprisonment but experienced respiratory problems for around three months before his death at the 1580 prison of San Miguel del Padrón, Havana province. Taken to the prison infirmary, he was transferred to the Miguel Enriquez hospital (La Benéfica), where doctors could not treat him, as there were no antibiotics. They informed prison authorities that he had to be admitted, but he was returned to prison, as the authorities said they had insufficient fuel for his surveillance. His health worsened and he had trouble breathing. Despite his family's pleas, prison authorities refused to provide him medical care. He was finally taken to the hospital, where over a liter of fluid was removed from his lungs in an emergency procedure. At that point, the government told the family he was free on a 3-month medical license, a usual tactic the government uses for prisoners in danger of dying or about to die. He died the following day, leaving a 6 year old son. The doctor told the family he had not been treated on time. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) called on the Cuban State to investigate what happened, and the United States government expressed indignation on social media over the death.
=================================================
Preso político sentenciado a 6 años de prisión por manifestarse pacíficamente durante las protests masivas del 11 de julio de 2021. Entró saludable a prisión (Prisión 1580, San Miguel del Padrón, La Habana), pero comenzó con problemas respiratorios tres meses antes de su muerte, por lo que fue internado en la enfermería del penal. Posteriormente fue trasladado al hospital Miguel Enriquez hospital (La Benéfica), donde el personal médico informó a las autoridades penitenciarias que el ingreso era imprescindible debido al mal estado de salud del preso, pero que no contaban con antibióticos. Las autoridades penales decidieron devolverlo al centro penitenciario, alegando que no contaban con combustible para garantizar su vigilancia permanente. Luego, al empeorar visiblemente, fue trasladado al hospital Covadonga, donde fue operado de emergencia para sacarle líquido de los pulmones. Se le dio la libertad con licencia médica extrapenal por tres meses, táctica que suele usar el gobierno cuando un preso está en peligro de muerte. Falleció al día siguiente. El médico le dijo a la familia que no había recibido tratamiento médico a tiempo. La Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH) llamó al Estado cubano a investigar lo sucedido y el gobierno de Estados Unidos expresó su indignación por la muerte.

Sources: Conflict of Evidence:

Violation Status: Reported: Highly likely / Highly reliable source(s)

Cause of Death: - Medical condition/Denial of medical care

Occupations: N/A

External Files: N/A

Relatives in Archive: N/A

Victim Type: - Prisoner / Detainee: Political cause

Affiliations: N/A

Other Victims Same Event: N/A

Case Record - Luis Barrios Díaz