Cuba Archive - Case 2526

Case ID: 2526

Title: N/A

First name: Marcial

Last name: Arufe Delgado

Suffix: N/A

Aliases: N/A

Name also reported as: Marcial Arrife, Manuel Arufeaka Marciano Arufe Delgado, Marcial Aruga, Marcial Aruge Akamarcial Arife

Age: 23

Gender: Male

Date of Birth: N/A

Civil Status: Unknown

Date of death/disappearance: Day:21 / Month:4 / Year:1961

Citizenship: Cuba

Last known address: An apartment near Río Almendares

Last known city: N/A

Last known province-TOD: La Habana

Last known province current: N/A

Last known country: Cuba

Location death-address: N/A

Location of death - city: Havana

Location of death province - at TOD: La Habana

Location of death province - current: Ciudad de La Habana

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: Police

Associated Event: Anti-Castro insurgency/resistance

Case description:

He and his new wife, Olga Digna Fernández Cañizares, were conspiring with the Unidad Revolucionaria group.  They had opposed Batista and had initially been supporters of the Castro government, but had joined the opposition.  Alerted that the government was ready to capture them, they were allegedly shot while planning to reach the Argentinian embassy to request asylum. The Castro government claims they resisted arrest in a Havana apartment full of arms. According to the building's caretaker, the couple resisted arrest, fought the state agents who came to get them and were finally shot to death in the bathroom, where they had taken cover.  The bodies were identified by Tomás Cañizares, Olga Digna’s uncle, who was taken by the government to the apartment where the alleged shootout took place.  Both bodies had numerous gun shots.  Eyewitnesses at the scene reported the following day to Olga’s brother (Armando Fernandez Cañizares) that they had seen the bodies taken into the apartment.  This brother was detained for two days for trying to gather information on the case.  The government did not allow a joint funeral and only permitted the closest of Olga Digna's family members to attend her services at a designated funeral home.  Her mother was detained for a short period and all her photos of her daughter were confiscated, never to be returned to the family.  Miguel Angel Arufe, Marcial’s brother, was framed on false charges and sent to prison for twenty years (his sentence was commuted after serving two-and-a-half years after his mother filed a trial revision).
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Él y su nueva esposa, Olga Digna Fernández Cañizares, estaban conspirando con el grupo Unidad Revolucionaria. Se habían opuesto a Batista e inicialmente habían sido partidarios del gobierno de Castro, pero se habían unido a la oposición. Alertados de que el gobierno estaba listo para capturarlos, murieron baleados cuando intentaban llegar a la embajada de Argentina para solicitar asilo. El gobierno de Castro afirma que se resistieron al arresto en un apartamento de La Habana lleno de armas. Según el cuidador del edificio, la pareja se resistió al arresto, luchó contra los agentes estatales que vinieron a buscarlos y finalmente fueron asesinados a tiros en el baño, donde se habían refugiado. Los cuerpos fueron identificados por Tomás Cañizares, tío de Olga Digna, quien fue trasladado por el gobierno al departamento donde se produjo el presunto tiroteo. Ambos cuerpos tenían numerosos disparos. Testigos presenciales en el lugar informaron al día siguiente al hermano de Olga (Armando Fernández Cañizares) que habían visto los cuerpos llevados al apartamento. Este hermano estuvo detenido dos días por intentar recabar información sobre el caso. El gobierno no permitió un funeral conjunto y solo permitió que los familiares de Olga Digna más cercanos asistieran a sus servicios en una funeraria designada. Su madre fue detenida por un corto período de tiempo y todas las fotos de su hija fueron confiscadas, para nunca ser devueltas a la familia. Miguel Angel Arufe, hermano de Marcial, fue incriminado por cargos falsos y enviado a prisión por veinte años (su sentencia fue conmutada después de cumplir dos años y medio luego de que su madre interpusiera una revisión de juicio).

Sources: Conflict of Evidence:

Violation Status: Confirmed with primary source(s)

Cause of Death: - Extrajudicial killing

Occupations: - Transportation and Material Moving Occupations

External Files: N/A

Relatives in Archive: - Spouse in Case 8870: Olga Digna Fernández Cañizares de Arufe

Victim Type: - Anti-Castro insurgent or resistance member

Affiliations: N/A

Other Victims Same Event: - Case 8870: Olga Digna Fernández Cañizares de Arufe

Case Record - Marcial Arufe Delgado