Cuba Archive - Case 4587

Case ID: 4587

Title: N/A

First name: Alejandro

Last name: Lima Bárcega

Suffix: N/A

Aliases: Nando

Name also reported as: Fernando Lima Barcena, Nardo Lima, Alejandro Lima Barzaga

Age: N/A

Gender: Male

Date of Birth: N/A

Civil Status: Unknown

Date of death/disappearance: Day:13 / Month:7 / Year:1963

Citizenship: Cuba

Last known address: N/A

Last known city: N/A

Last known province-TOD: Las Villas

Last known province current: N/A

Last known country: Cuba

Location death-address: Finca Puerta del Médico

Location of death - city: Manacas

Location of death province - at TOD: Las Villas

Location of death province - current: Villa Clara

Location of death - country: Cuba

Trial held?: N/A

Docket Number: Judicial Docket No.829 of 1960

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: 3 years

Death attributed to: Castro regime

Death attribution detail: N/A

Associated Event: Anti-Castro insurgency/resistance

Case description:

Former Rebel Army Captain, anti-Castro guerrilla fighter who had been captured in 1961 and held prisoner with fellow members of his guerrilla band at Isla de Pinos or the Hospital at Topes de Collantes in the Escambray mountain, all part of the 2nd cause of the Escambray. The group of 21 was transferred to Las Villas for their trial two and a half years later, the day after fellow rebels Macario Quintana and Aquilino Zequeira were executed (their bodies exhibited at the trial). Only 2 of the group of 21 were spared from execution, sentenced to 30 years of prison. (The trial was held at the old tower of Iznaga at Manacas de Iznaga, near the small town of Caracusey, by the highway between Sanctí Spíritus and Trinidad, province of Las Villas. The summary process by a revolutionary tribunal lacked all manner of due process (presiding the tribunal was Captain Andrés Abeledo Mejías, "El Pinto", the accusing officer was Luís Felipe Denis and the prosecutor, Dr. Humberto Jorge). The appeal lasted just minutes. Immediately, they took the group in a military truck for execution. It was 1:00 a.m. on July 13, 1963. They made three of the condemned to death -- Nando Lima, Zacarías García and Roberto Montalvo get out and shot them with machine guns. The rest started crying out Freedom and Down with Communism. They were then all shot in a volley of machine guns, rifles, and even pistols by the troops and members of the tribunal. Carlos Brunet was the only one who remained standing and was then shot. Each one was then shot with a coup de grace. As the mass carnage lay on the road, members of the militia who were barefoot took the shoes from some of the victims.
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Guerrillero anticastrista que había sido capturado en 1961 y mantenido prisionero con otros miembros de su banda guerrillera en la Isla de Pinos o en el Hospital de Topes de Collantes en las montañas del Escambray, como parte de lo que se denominó 2da. causa del Escambray. El grupo de 21 fue trasladado a Las Villas para su juicio dos años y medio más tarde,un día después de que sus compañeros Macario Quintana y Aquilino Zequeira fueran ejecutados (sus cuerpos se exhibieron en el juicio). Solo 2 del grupo de 21 se salvaron de la ejecución, sentenciados a 30 años de prisión. (El juicio se llevó a cabo en la antigua torre de Iznaga en Manacas de Iznaga, cerca del pequeño pueblo de Caracusey, junto a la carretera entre Sanctí Spíritus y Trinidad, provincia de Las Villas. El proceso de resumen por un tribunal revolucionario carecía de todo debido proceso (presidió el tribunal el capitán Andrés Abeledo Mejías, "El Pinto", el oficial acusador fue Luís Felipe Denis y el fiscal, Dr. Humberto Jorge). La apelación duró solo unos minutos. Inmediatamente, llevaron al grupo en un camión militar para su ejecución Era la 1:00 de la mañana del 13 de julio de 1963. Sacaron a tres de los condenados a muerte: Nando Lima, Zacarías García y Roberto Montalvo y los ametrallaron. El resto comenzó a gritar por Libertad, Abajo el comunismo. Las tropas y los miembros del tribunal los dispararon en una descarga de ametralladoras, rifles e incluso pistolas. Carlos Brunet fue el único que permaneció de pie y luego recibió un tiro de gracia. Mientras las víctimas de la masacre masiva yacían en el suelo, miembros de la milicia que estaban descalzos tomaron los zapatos de algunas de las víctimas.

Sources: Conflict of Evidence:

Cuban American National Foundation, Quilt of Fidel Castro's Genocide, 1994, reports a Nardo Lima, anti-Castro Escambray guerrilla rebel killed in combat in 1959. Organization of American States, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Fifth Special Report, 1976, p. 2, has him executed by machine gun fire in a mass execution without trial at Torre Iznaga, El Condado, province of Las Villas.  Clarinada, Julio 2011, reports the same, but after a very summary trial. Nuestra Cuba, 1998, p. 62, has him executed by firing squad at Manacas Prison, province of Las Villas on November 13, 1963.  Pardo Mazorra, 1992, p. 544, has him executed by firing squad on July 21, 1963.  Circuito Sur, July 2002, p. 48; and Instituto de la Memoria Histórica Cubana Contra el Totalitarismo, 2002, p. 20, have him executed by firing squad at Finca La Ceiba, Trinidad, province of Las Villas on July 13, 1963.  Instituto de la memoria histórica, www.cubamemorial.net/listado, reports him executed by firing squad as part of the second Causa del Escambray at Torre de Iznaga on July 13, 1963 after serving two-and-a-half years in prison.  Beruvides, 1993, p. 91; and Cuban American National Foundation, Quilt of Fidel Castro's Genocide, 1994, report him as Alejandro Barcena, last living in the province of Las Villas, executed by firing squad in Santa Clara, province of Las Villas (now Villa Clara), on August 21, 1963.  Circuito Sur, July 2002, p. 9; and Nuestra Cuba, 1998, p. 56, report the victim executed by firing squad in Santa Clara on 07/21/1963.
El Presidio Político de Isla de Pinos P. 265 has the name as Alejandro Lima Bárzaga. 
Reported as Alejandro Lima Barcena, by: Encinosa, 1989, p. 150; Eduardo de Juan, 1997, p. 282; WAQI-Radio Mambí, p. 57; Presidio Político Cubano, 1997, p. 158; Beruvides, 1993, p. 135; United States Information Agency, 1993, Year 1963; Cuban American National Foundation, Quilt of Fidel Castro's Genocide, 1994; Gómez Estrada, 1990, pp. 49 and 245; Evelio Duque Miyar, 1995, pp. 84 and 138; Encinosa, 1994, p. 160; Organization of American States, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Fifth Special Report, 1976, p. 2; Nuestra Cuba, 1998, p. 62; Pardo Mazorra, 1992, p. 544; Circuito Sur, July 2002, p. 48; Instituto de la Memoria Histórica Cubana Contra el Totalitarismo, 2002, p. 20; El Presidio Político de Isla de Pinos P. 265

Violation Status: Reported: Highly likely / Highly reliable 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: N/A

Other Victims Same Event: N/A

Case Record - Alejandro Lima Bárcega