Cuba Archive - Case 2533

Case ID: 2533

Title: N/A

First name: Virgilio

Last name: Campanería Ángel

Suffix: N/A

Aliases: Yiyo

Name also reported as: N/A

Age: 23

Gender: Male

Date of Birth: Day:5 / Month:8 / Year:1938

Civil Status: Unknown

Date of death/disappearance: Day:18 / Month:4 / Year:1961

Citizenship: N/A

Last known address: 19th Avenue # 7680 between 76 and 78 Streets, Ampliación de Almendares

Last known city: Marianao

Last known province-TOD: La Habana

Last known province current: Ciudad de La Habana

Last known country: Cuba

Location death-address: La Cabaña Fortress prison

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?: Yes

Docket Number: 136 of 1961

Sentence details: Capital punishment

Arrest or detention at time of death: Yes

Date of arrest: N/A

Imprisoned/Detained: Location: La Cabaña Fortress prison

How long imprisoned/detained: N/A

Death attributed to: Castro regime

Death attribution detail: N/A

Associated Event: Anti-Castro insurgency/resistance

Case description:

Executed by firing squad with seven other members of the anti-Castro resistance (in successive order in the early morning hours).  Their death sentence had been delivered in a 20-minute summary trial held at La Cabaña Fortress prison as the Bay of Pigs invasion had started a day earlier.  A ninth individual was tried, Tomás Fernández Travieso, but was instead sentenced to 30 years of prison (of which he served 19) because he was a minor. The eight men awaited their execution together in a special cell and, for hours, prayed the rosary before being taken one by one to the wall for their execution. Other prisoners could hear the firing squad and coup de grace shots. Excerpts of Campanería's last letter read: “Death does not worry me, because I have faith in God and in our country’s destiny. …There will be no more hatred between brothers and no more voices calling for “paredón (“to the wall or death by firing squad”). There will only be love amongst Cubans, brotherhood, Christian love. … Poor Cuba, how it has suffered. …but the new Cuba emerges from the hatred to sow love, from injustice to bring social justice, real social justice, not one from deceitful mass demagoguery. …a Cuba for all Cubans, with all and for the good of all.” 
From the testimony of fellow prisoner Fernández-Travieso, member of the resistance group Directorio Revolucionario Estudiantil, who bid eight fellow prisoners farewell before they were executed: "Virgilio was the third one. In his last hug he told me: "Tommy, I'm going to shout a Viva Cristo Rey, Viva Cuba Libre, Viva Directorio, that's going to rattle your balls. (Executed by firing squad with seven other members of the anti-Castro resistance (in successive order in the early morning hours).  Their death sentence had been delivered in a 20-minute summary trial held at La Cabaña Fortress prison as the Bay of Pigs invasion had started a day earlier.  A ninth individual was tried, Tomás Fernández Travieso, but was instead sentenced to 30 years of prison (of which he served 19) because he was a minor. The eight men awaited their execution together in a special cell and, for hours, prayed the rosary before being taken one by one to the wall for their execution. Other prisoners could hear the firing squad and coup de grace shots. He did and received three coup de grâce shots." This cry was heard in the entire prison and was adopted by many others who were sent to the firing squad; the regime eventually muzzled them.
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Ejecutado por un pelotón de fusilamiento con otros siete miembros de la resistencia anticastrista. Su sentencia de muerte fue entregada luego de un juicio sumario de 20 minutos en la prisión de la Fortaleza de La Cabaña cuando la invasión de Bahía de Cochinos había comenzado un día antes. Tomás Fernández-Travieso fue el acusado número nueve juzgado ese día pero debido a que era menor de edad fue condenado a 30 años de prisión (de los cuales cumplió 19). Los ocho hombres esperaron su ejecución juntos en una celda especial y, durante horas, rezaron el rosario antes de ser llevados uno por uno al paredón para ser ejecutados. Los otros prisioneros pudieron escuchar los disparos del pelotón de fusilamiento y del tiro de gracia al final de cada ejecución. Extractos de su última carta: “La muerte no me preocupa, porque tengo fe en Dios y en el destino de nuestro país. ... No habrá más odio entre hermanos y no habrá más voces que pidan "paredón". Solo habrá amor entre los cubanos, la fraternidad, el amor cristiano. … Pobre Cuba, cómo ha sufrido. ... pero la nueva Cuba emerge del odio para sembrar amor, de injusticia para traer justicia social, justicia social real, no una de demagogia masiva engañosa. ... una Cuba para todos los cubanos, con todos y por el bien de todos ".
Tomás Fernández-Travieso, miembro del grupo de resistencia Directorio Revolucionario Estudiantil, quien se despidió de ocho presos antes de ser ejecutados: "El tercero fue Virgilio. En su último abrazo, dijo: "Tommy, voy a gritar un Viva Cristo Rey, Viva Cuba Libre, Viva Directorio, que le va a traquetear los c...... (Lo hizo). Hubo tres tiros de gracia."

Sources:

Fusilamientos del 18 abril 1961, Cuba y su historia con Alberto Muller, WLRN Channel 17, Miami, Apr. 17, 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPBcoqp0Q54. Tomás Fernández Travieso (witness), Ocho Fusilados, El Nuevo Herald, 17 April 1991, p. 8-a. J.S. Velázquez, Aplican pena de muerte, El Mundo. J.S. Velázquez, Solicitan pena de muerte, El Mundo. Ros, 1994, p. 184-186, Clark 1990, p. 74. Muller, Diario Las Américas, 26 March 1997. Encinosa, 1994, pp. 38-39, 69 and 93-94. Ruíz, 1972, p. 82. L. González Infante, Rostros-Faces, p. 50. "Alberto Tapia Ruano ( Tapita ), Rogelio Gonzalez Corso y Virgilio Campaneria Angel, Tres Martires Cristianos de Abril de 1961," http://baracuteycubano.blogspot.com/2006/04/alberto-tapia-ruano-tapita-rogelio.html.
Tomás Fernández-Travieso, Testigo del sacrificio (hace 55 años), April 2016. http://eldiariodelamarina.com/testimonio-testigo-del-sacrificio/
(Testimony of fellow prisoner, Tomás Fernández-Travieso, member of the resistance group Directorio Revolucionario Estudiantil, who bid eight fellow prisoners farewell before they were executed on 4/17/1961.

Conflict of Evidence:

Violation Status: Confirmed with primary source(s)

Cause of Death: - Execution: by firing squad

Occupations: - N/A

External Files: N/A

Relatives in Archive: N/A

Victim Type: - Anti-Castro insurgent or resistance member

Affiliations: - Catholic youth group - Directorio Revolucionario Estudiantil

Other Victims Same Event: - Case 2576: Lázaro Reyes Benítez - Case 2532: Carlos Manuel Calvo Martínez - Case 2602: Alberto Tapia-Ruano Eligio-de-la-Puente - Case 2581: Filiberto Rodríguez Ravelo - Case 2578: Carlos Antonio Rodríguez Cabo - Case 2579: Efrén Rodríguez López - Case 2531: José Calderín

Case Record - Virgilio Campanería Ángel