Cuba Archive - Case 1725

Case ID: 1725

Title: N/A

First name: Anthony

Last name: Zarba

Suffix: N/A

Aliases: Tony

Name also reported as: Tony Salvard, Anthony Salvard

Age: 27

Gender: Male

Date of Birth: Day:20 / Month:9 / Year:1932

Civil Status: Unknown

Date of death/disappearance: Day:10 / Month:12 / Year:1960

Citizenship: United States

Last known address: 108 NW 48 Place

Last known city: Miami, Florida

Last known province-TOD: N/A

Last known province current: N/A

Last known country: United States

Location death-address: Police station

Location of death - city: Santiago de Cuba

Location of death province - at TOD: Oriente

Location of death province - current: Santiago de Cuba

Location of death - country: Cuba

Trial held?: Yes

Docket Number: N/A

Sentence details: Capital punishment

Arrest or detention at time of death: Yes

Date of arrest: N/A

Imprisoned/Detained: Location: N/A

How long imprisoned/detained: N/A

Death attributed to: Castro regime

Death attribution detail: N/A

Associated Event: Anti-Castro insurgency -1960 Navas Bay/Armentino Feria operation

Case description:

Had landed in Navas Bay, Oriente province, with two Americans to start an anti-Castro guerrilla operation, but was taken prisoner and executed after a summary trial and minutes long appeal process. His lawyer was a Cuban appointed only moments before.  The court was a military tribunal that after only a 15-minute deliberation, pronounced him guilty. The United States filed a diplomatic note of protest that was rejected by the Castro government. He was buried in an unmarked grave at Santa Ifigenia Cemetery, Santiago de Cuba. Cuban writer Norberto Fuentes recounts how in 1987 Fidel and Raúl Castro were gloating about having had the Americans executed.
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Desembarcó en la Bahía de Navas, provincia de Oriente, con dos estadounidenses para comenzar una operación de guerrilla contra Castro, pero fue hecho prisionero y ejecutado luego de un juicio sumario y un proceso de apelación que solo duró unos minutos. Su abogado era un cubano nombrado solo unos momentos antes. La corte era un tribunal militar que después de solo 15 minutos de deliberación, lo declaró culpable. Los Estados Unidos presentaron una nota diplomática de protesta que fue rechazada por el gobierno de Castro. Fue enterrado en una tumba sin nombre en el cementerio de Santa Ifigenia, Santiago de Cuba. El escritor cubano Norberto Fuentes relata cómo en 1987 Fidel y Raúl Castro se jactaban de haber ejecutado a los estadounidenses.

Sources: Conflict of Evidence:

Circuito Sur, July 2002, p. 89; and Instituto de la Memoria Histórica Cubana contra el Totalitarismo, 2002. pp. 3-4, have him executed by firing squad on October 21, 1960.  Written testimony of witness and cousin of fellow infiltrator reports him executed on October 15, 1960.  Testimonny of brother reports him executed on October 13, 1960.  Clarinada, octubre 2009, reports the victim executed by firing squad at the same place and on the same date as seven others, at San Juan shooting practice field, in Santiago de Cuba, province of Oriente (now Santiago de Cuba), on October 13, 1960.  The New York Times, 11 October 1960, p. 10, column 6; Ruíz, 1970, p. 316; United States Foreign Claims Settlement Commission, Decision CU-6199, Award to Jenny M. Fuller et al., 1972;  Beruvides, 1993, p. 174; Encinosa, 1989, p. 162; Directorio Revolucionario Estudiantil, 1965, p. 34; Cuban American National Foundation, Quilt of Fidel Castro's Genocide, 1994; Ariel Remos, Diario Las Américas, 11 noviembre 1998, p. 10-A; Gómez Estrada, 1990, p. 169; Nuestra Cuba, 1998, p. 86; and Nuestra Cuba, 1998, p. 85, report the victim as Anthony Salvard (aliases Anthony Salvar, Tony Salvard and Anthony Salas), from the United States, who had landed in Navas Bay, Oriente, with a guerrilla group of anti-Castro Cubans, was captured and tried by revolutionary tribunal in Santiago de Cuba, and executed by firing squad at San Juan Hill Shooting Practice Field, Santiago de Cuba, province of Oriente (now Santiago de Cuba), on October 13, 1960.  Nuestra Cuba, 1998, p. 85, also has him as Anthony Salas executed by firing squad at San Juan Hill, Santiago de Cuba on October 12, 1960.

Violation Status: Confirmed with primary source(s)

Cause of Death: - Execution: by firing squad

Occupations: - Production Occupations

External Files: N/A

Relatives in Archive: N/A

Victim Type: - Anti-Castro insurgent or resistance member

Affiliations: N/A

Other Victims Same Event: - Case 1686: Robert Otis Fuller - Case 1688: Allen Dale Thompson

Case Record - Anthony Zarba