Cuba Archive - Case 3312

Case ID: 3312

Title: N/A

First name: Manuel Fernando

Last name: Méndez Ferrer

Suffix: N/A

Aliases: Manolo

Name also reported as: N/A

Age: 35

Gender: Male

Date of Birth: Day:30 / Month:5 / Year:1936

Civil Status: Unknown

Date of death/disappearance: Day:29 / Month:7 / Year:1971

Citizenship: Cuba

Last known address: Raimundo # 277

Last known city: Sancti Spíritus

Last known province-TOD: Las Villas

Last known province current: Sancti Spíritus

Last known country: Cuba

Location death-address: G-2 State Security headquarters

Location of death - city: Santa Clara

Location of death province - at TOD: Las Villas

Location of death province - current: Villa Clara

Location of death - country: Cuba

Trial held?: No

Docket Number: N/A

Sentence details: N/A

Arrest or detention at time of death: Yes

Date of arrest: Day:1 / Month:7 / Year:1971

Imprisoned/Detained: Location: G-2 State Security headquarters, Santa Clara

How long imprisoned/detained: Twenty-nine days

Death attributed to: Castro regime

Death attribution detail: N/A

Associated Event: N/A

Case description:

Official of the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) and President of the Revolutionary Tribunal of Santa Clara arrested on July 1, 1971 with no word given to his family.  His wife repeatedly asked government officials why he was under arrest and never received an answer, but was told by one of his former colleagues that he would be home after July 20th.  On July 29, he died of a gunshot wound to the chest while in custody.  The government claimed it was a suicide and produced a letter he had allegedly written, confessing to an affair with a married woman, who denied it, and to have met with several other members of the Ministry of the Interior to discuss problems such as poverty and blaming them on the government of Fidel Castro.  His widow believes he was assassinated. She later learned that he was suspected of participating in a plot to reform the political system.
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Oficial del Ministerio del Interior (MININT) de 35 años de edad que fue arrestado en julio de 1971 sin explicación a su familia. Murió bajo custodia 29 días después de una herida de bala en el pecho. El gobierno afirmó que se había suicidado. Su viuda cree que fue asesinado y más tarde supo que se sospechaba que iba a participar en un complot para reformar el sistema político.

Sources: Conflict of Evidence:

Violation Status: Confirmed with primary source(s)

Cause of Death: - Extrajudicial killing, possible/suspected

Occupations: - Management Occupations - Military Specific Occupations

External Files: N/A

Relatives in Archive: N/A

Victim Type: - Government official (civilian, police, State Security, etc.)

Affiliations: N/A

Other Victims Same Event: N/A

Case Record - Manuel Fernando Méndez Ferrer