Cuba Archive - Case 2883

Case ID: 2883

Title: N/A

First name: Carlos

Last name: González Vidal

Suffix: N/A

Aliases: N/A

Name also reported as: N/A

Age: 23

Gender: Male

Date of Birth: Day:23 / Month:8 / Year:1938

Civil Status: Unknown

Date of death/disappearance: Day:20 / Month:9 / Year:1961

Citizenship: Cuba

Last known address: Calle Carmen 57, e/ Párraga y Poey, La Víbora

Last known city: La Habana

Last known province-TOD: La Habana

Last known province current: 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: No.255 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: N/A

Case description:

On April 13, 1961, the Encanto department store of Havana was burned down in an an act of arson (sabotage) against the Castro regime. Four days later, as the Bay of Pigs invasion started, the Castro government began arresting thousands of Cubans suspected of counter-revolutionary sentiments or activities. Carlos, who was an employee of the store, was also part of the resistance group MRP (Movimiento Revolucionario del Pueblo) and was hiding at a house in Baracoa, but was found after a tip from a Communist fellow worker.  He was arrested and taken to a State Security facility, where he was tortured for four months. He protected fellow conspirators Antonio Martínez and Mario Pombo during their trial and valiantly took all the blame for conceiving and planning the sabotage. That spared their lives, as the prosecutor was seeking the death penalty, but they received prison sentences of 30 years for Pombo and Martinez and 15 to 20 years for the other accused. As he awaited execution, he wrote a letter to his loved ones including these words: "I will die very shortly and I am not afraid, as I know that God will embrace me in his arms because I have fought for a just cause and if I had two lives, I would still offer them to defend my country from these assassins, cowards and traitors."  Before the firing squad, he cried out 'Viva Cristo Rey'!,'Viva Cuba libre'! (Glory to Christ the King. Glory to a free Cuba.)
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El 13 de abril de 1961, los grandes almacenes El Encanto de La Habana fueron incendiados en un acto de sabotaje contra el régimen de Castro. Cuatro días después, cuando comenzó la invasión de Bahía de Cochinos, el gobierno de Castro comenzó a arrestar a miles de cubanos sospechosos de sentimientos o actividades contrarrevolucionarias. Carlos, era un empleado de la tienda y también parte del grupo de resistencia MRP (Movimiento Revolucionario del Pueblo) y se escondía en una casa en Baracoa, pero fue encontrado después que la policía fue informadaun por un compañero de trabajo comunista. Fue arrestado y llevado a una instalación de Seguridad del Estado, donde fue torturado durante cuatro meses. Protegió a sus compañeros conspiradores Antonio Martínez y Mario Pombo durante su juicio y valientemente asumió toda la culpa por concebir y planificar el sabotaje. Eso les salvó la vida, ya que el fiscal buscaba la pena de muerte, pero recibieron penas de prisión de 30 años para Pombo y Martínez y de 15 a 20 años para el otro acusado. Mientras esperaba la ejecución, escribió una carta a sus seres queridos que incluía estas palabras: "Moriré muy pronto y no tengo miedo, ya que sé que Dios me abrazará en sus brazos porque he luchado por una causa justa y si tuviera dos vidas, las ofrecería para defender a mi país de estos asesinos, cobardes y traidores ". ¡Ante el pelotón de fusilamiento, gritó 'Viva Cristo Rey'! ¡Viva Cuba libre!".

Sources: Conflict of Evidence:

Violation Status: Confirmed with primary source(s)

Cause of Death: - Execution: by firing squad

Occupations: - Sales and Related Occupations

External Files: N/A

Relatives in Archive: N/A

Victim Type: - Anti-Castro insurgent or resistance member

Affiliations: - "Union of Retail Employees (""Empleados del Comercio"")" - "Labor Committee of the MRP (Movimiento Revolucionario del Pueblo)

Other Victims Same Event: N/A

Case Record - Carlos González Vidal