Cuba Archive - Case 379

Case ID: 379

Title: N/A

First name: Onelia

Last name: Quintana Cremales

Suffix: N/A

Aliases: N/A

Name also reported as: N/A

Age: 50

Gender: Female

Date of Birth: N/A

Civil Status: Unknown

Date of death/disappearance: Day:6 / Month:7 / Year:1980

Citizenship: Cuba

Last known address: N/A

Last known city: Matanzas

Last known province-TOD: Matanzas

Last known province current: Matanzas

Last known country: Cuba

Location death-address: Cuban territorial waters near the mouth of the Canimar River in Matanzas

Location of death - city: N/A

Location of death province - at TOD: N/A

Location of death province - current: Matanzas

Location of death - country: Cuba

Trial held?: No

Docket Number: N/A

Sentence details: N/A

Arrest or detention at time of death: N/A

Date of arrest: N/A

Imprisoned/Detained: Location: N/A

How long imprisoned/detained: N/A

Death attributed to: Castro regime

Death attribution detail: Armed Forces, Air Force and Navy

Associated Event: 1980 Canimar River massacre

Case description:

Passenger of the excursion boat 'XX Aniversario' who died of bullet wounds from air and sea attacks by Cuban forces during the hijacking of the boat in an attempt to flee Cuba. The government sent airplanes to fire on the passengers and a vessel that sunk the boat. Onelia's husband survived with bullet wounds and her husband's uncle, Vicente Fleitas, died in the attack. (See Case Profile #7050 on the Massacre at www.cubaarchive.org.) The  toll  of  this  massacre  was reportedly 71 victims,  although Cuba  Archive  has  only 13 names. (See the Reports section of www.CubaArchive.org for a detailed account of the events.)
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Pasajera del barco de excursión 'XX Aniversario' que murió de heridas de bala de ataques aéreos y marítimos de las fuerzas armadas cubanas durante el secuestro de la embarcación en un intento de huir de Cuba. Después que dispararon contra los pasajeros, hundieron el barco. Su marido sobrevivió con heridas de bala y el tío de su marido, Vicente Fleitas, murió en el ataque. (Ver caso #7050 en www,cubaarchive.org). Se reportó un total de 71 víctimas, aunque Cuba Archive solo ha podido obtener el nombre de 13. (Consulte la sección Informes de www.CubaArchive.org para obtener una descripción detallada de lo ocurrido).

Sources:

Testimony of cousin, by telephone, 12/19/2008. Testimony of brother of one of the hijackers, by telephone from Miami, March 27, 2017. Interview with professor living in New York city who lived in Matanzas at the time of the massacre and knew survivors, May 27, 2007. Testimony of niece of victim Vicente Fleites Cabrera. Jesus Duva, Llegan a España dos cubanos liberados por mediación de Fraga, Madrid, El Pais, Mar. 21 1992. Official record of the Provincial Court of Matanzas, published in Dr. Alberto Fibla, Barbarie: Hundimiento del Remolcador 13 de Marzo. Miami: Rodes Printing, 1996.  "Cuba reportedly sank hijacked excursion boat in 1980," Associated Press, Washington D.C., 8 December, 1985.  Joseph B. Treaster, ”Radio Martí Says Cuba Sank Hijacked Boat in  ’80,”  The New York Times, 8 September 1985.  José Pérez-Marat, La Masacre del Canimar, Miami, undated report. Tim  Bower, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, Endowment for Cuban American National Foundation, Miami, 1993.  Norberto Fuentes, ed. Modesto Arocha, Children of the Enemy, The International Republican Institute, October 1996, /www.sigloxxi.org/Archivo/children.htm.  Armando M. Lago, “Cuba: The Human Cost of Social Revolution,” Unpublished manuscript.

Conflict of Evidence:

Violation Status: Confirmed with primary source(s)

Cause of Death: - Extrajudicial killing: in exit attempt

Occupations: N/A

External Files: N/A

Relatives in Archive: - Aunt/Uncle in Case 7050: Vicente Fleitas Cabrera

Victim Type: - Attempting exit

Affiliations: N/A

Other Victims Same Event: N/A

Case Record - Onelia Quintana Cremales