Cuba Archive - Case 4747

Case ID: 4747

Title: Captain

First name: Zacarías

Last name: García López

Suffix: N/A

Aliases: N/A

Name also reported as: Sacaria García López, Zacarías García, Zacarías López

Age: 41

Gender: Male

Date of Birth: N/A

Civil Status: Unknown

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

Citizenship: N/A

Last known address: N/A

Last known city: Topes de Collantes

Last known province-TOD: Las Villas

Last known province current: Sancti Spíritus

Last known country: Cuba

Location death-address: Finca Puerta del Médico

Location of death - city: Manacas, Iznaga

Location of death province - at TOD: Las Villas

Location of death province - current: Villa Clara

Location of death - country: Cuba

Trial held?: Yes

Docket Number: 829 of 1960

Sentence details: Three years

Arrest or detention at time of death: Yes

Date of arrest: Year:1961

Imprisoned/Detained: Location: Isla de Pinos (Isles of Pines) prison

How long imprisoned/detained: N/A

Death attributed to: Castro regime

Death attribution detail: N/A

Associated Event: Anti-Castro insurgency - Escambray uprising

Case description:

Insurgent (captain of a guerrilla column), 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 for and 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 Brurnet 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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Capitán de un grupo 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, todo parte de la 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: Zacarías, Nando Lima, 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:

WAQI-Radio Mambí, p. 59, reports him executed by firing squad at Finca La Ceiba, Las Villas province on 7/21/1963.  Pardo Mazorra, 1992, p. 565, reports him executed by firing squad on 7/21/1963.   Circuito Sur, July 2002, p. 34; and Instituto de la Memoria Histórica Cubana, 2002, p. 20, report him executed by firing squad at Finca La Ceiba, Trinidad, Las Villas province on 7/13/1963.  Instituto de la memoria histórica, www.cubamemorial.net/listado, reports him as Zacarías García, executed by firing squad in the second Causa del Escambray at Torre de Iznaga in Trinidad, province of Las Villas (now Sancti Spíritus) on July 13, 1963. Encinosa, 1993, pp. 62-63.  Encinosa, 1989, p. 151; Beruvides, 1993, p. 138; and Cuban American National Foundation, Quilt of Fidel Castro's Genocide, 1994, report a Zacarías López executed in Manacas on 8/13/1963.
Encinosa, 1989, p. 151; Encinosa, 1993, pp. 62-63 Beruvides, 1993, p. 138; and Cuban American National Foundation, Quilt of Fidel Castro's Genocide, 1994, all report a Zacarías López, Escambray guerrilla rebel band leader executed August 13, 1963.

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 - Zacarías García López