Cuba Archive - Case 1920

Case ID: 1920

Title: N/A

First name: Addys Alberto

Last name: Calzadilla Rodríguez

Suffix: N/A

Aliases: N/A

Name also reported as: Addis Calzadilla Rodriguez

Age: 33

Gender: Male

Date of Birth: N/A

Civil Status: Unknown

Date of death/disappearance: Day:26 / Month:6 / Year:2015

Citizenship: N/A

Last known address: Calle 6ta # 16 entre 1ra y 3ra, Reparto Peralta

Last known city: Holguin

Last known province-TOD: Holguín

Last known province current: Holguín

Last known country: Cuba

Location death-address: Calle 6ta # 16 entre 1ra y 3ra, Reparto Peralta

Location of death - city: Holguín

Location of death province - at TOD: Holguín

Location of death province - current: Holguín

Location of death - country: Cuba

Trial held?: No

Docket Number: N/A

Sentence details: N/A

Arrest or detention at time of death: No

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: N/A

Case description:

Young plastic artist who committed suicide due to police harassment and painted the word "Fidel" with his blood before he died. He considered himself a dissident and held that all his country's problems had a name, Fidel Castro, but was not affiliated with any opposition organization. The day before his death, his family had taken him to the Holguín Psychiatric Hospital, where he was not admitted appparently for lack of beds for men; the doctor had ordered him injected with a sedative and sent him home.  According to his relatives, friends and neighbors, Addys had been harassed by all the sectorial heads of police since December 2012, after reportedly registering with the the English company Lloyd's Register. As a result, he had been expelled from Havana, where he was exhibiting his work at a Gallery in the Vedado neighborhood, and fined $300. Addys was a self-taught plastic artist who carved wood, painted using various techniques, and did engravings. He had exhibited his works in several places in Holguín and received two awards. His ecological project "Environmental Trion" based on planting trees and caring for the environment had never been approved. More recently, he had spent his time at the beach drawing people for pay, essentially foreigners and had been constantly threatened by police with an accusation of "harassing" tourists. The government would not grant him permission to work legally.
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Joven artista plástico que se suicidó cortándose la garganta después de escribir con su sangre el nombre Fidel en la pared. Había sido acosado por la policía y se cosideraba un disidente, a pesar de no estar afiliado a ninguna organización de la oposición, y recalcaba que todos los problemas de su país tenían un nombre, Fidel Castro. El día anterior su familia lo había llevado al Hospital Psiquiátrico de Holguín, donde el Dr. Alejandro Samé se había negado a ingresarlo porque la institución no disponía de camas para hombres y había ordenó que le inyectaran un sedante y lo llevaran para su casa. 
De acuerdo con sus familiares, amigos y vecinos, Addys había sido acosado por todos los jefes de Sector de la Policía Nacional Revolucionaria (PNR) desde diciembre de 2012, cuando se había afiliado a la compañía inglesa Lloyd's Register. A partir de entonces comenzaron los problemas, fue expulsado de La Habana donde estaba exponiendo sus obras en la Galería de B y 15 en el Vedado y multado con $300,00. 
Era un artista plástico autodidacta; tallaba madera, pintaba empleando varias técnicas y grababa. Había expuesto sus obras entre otros varios lugares en Holguín, habiendo sido Mención del premio "Angelote" otorgado por Sección Cultura de Holguín en abril de 2010, aparte de haber ganado el premio de la popularidad "Holguín" en junio de 2009 por su obra "El amor de las Parcas." Había realizado un proyecto ecologista nombrado "Trión ambiental" basado en la siembra de árboles y el cuidado del medio ambiente que nunca fue aprobado. Últimamente se dedicaba en la playa a dibujar personas que le pagaban por ello
fundamentalmente extranjeros, por lo que amenazaban constantemente con
acusarlo de "acoso" a turistas, ya que el gobierno no quiso otorgarle permiso
para trabajar legalmente.

Sources: Conflict of Evidence:

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

Cause of Death: - Suicide/Alleged Suicide

Occupations: - Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations

External Files: N/A

Relatives in Archive: N/A

Victim Type: - Political opponent or dissident: no known membership in a group

Affiliations: N/A

Other Victims Same Event: N/A

Case Record - Addys Alberto Calzadilla Rodríguez