Cuba Archive - Case 493

Case ID: 493

Title: N/A

First name: Orosmán

Last name: Dueñas Valero

Suffix: N/A

Aliases: N/A

Name also reported as: N/A

Age: 20

Gender: Male

Date of Birth: Day:9 / Month:6 / Year:1971

Civil Status: Unknown

Date of death/disappearance: Day:9 / Month:1 / Year:1992

Citizenship: N/A

Last known address: N/A

Last known city: N/A

Last known province-TOD: N/A

Last known province current: N/A

Last known country: Cuba

Location death-address: Tarará former nautical club

Location of death - city: N/A

Location of death province - at TOD: La Habana

Location of death province - current: La Habana

Location of death - country: Cuba

Trial held?: No

Docket Number: N/A

Sentence details: N/A

Arrest or detention at time of death: No

Date of arrest: N/A

Imprisoned/Detained: Location: N/A

How long imprisoned/detained: N/A

Death attributed to: Other

Death attribution detail: N/A

Associated Event: N/A

Case description:

Three Ministry of the Interior guards, Orosmán Dueñas Valero, police sergeant Yuri Gómez Reinoso and Rafael Guevara Borges, were guarding the nautical facility of the José Martí Pioneers Camp, at Tarará, Havana province, and were surprised and tied by two people who wanted to hijack a vessel and escape to Florida. When it failed to start from a faulty battery, the hijackers went back and shot them. According to the Cuban government Sgt. Rolando Pérez Quintosa, a policeman who heard the shots arrived on the scene and was also shot in the chest, dying a month later of his wounds. Luis Miguel Almeida, who was also a guard at the facility, and René Salmerón, a co-conspirator, were captured and sentenced to death. The rest of the group received long prison sentences.
Elías Pérez Bocourt, a 22 year-old neighbor, was invited to join the group with other neighbors to help carry the 27 containers of gasoline needed for the journey. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison, yet he claims he was unaware that policeman Pérez Quintosa was part of the plot and was supposed to allow to be tied with the other policeman by the escapees and to take their arms. He claims that the group, including women and children, boarded the vessel and when it failed to start Almeida and the other guard returned to the dock. Soon they heard shooting and Almeida returned to tell them all to escape. Later he found out that Almeida had been surprised by two guards whom he had to shoot and that he had also shot his friend Pérez Quintosa and the other guard, who were also tied up. 
48 hours after the shooting they were captured. Pérez Bocourt suffered extensive abuse in prison and initially served eight years of solitary confinement at Kilo 8 Prison in Camagüey, the most severe in Cuba. Later sent to Combinado del Este prison, he continued to claim his innocence. He was finally freed on July 16, 2019 after 27 years in prison.
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Tres guardias del Ministerio del Interior, Orosmán Dueñas Valero, el sargento de policía Yuri Gómez Reinoso y Rafael Guevara Borges, custodiaban la instalación náutica del Campamento de Pioneros José Martí, en Tarará, provincia de La Habana, y fueron sorprendidos y atados por dos personas que querían secuestrar un barco y escapar a Florida. Cuando no pudo arrancar por una batería defectuosa, los secuestradores regresaron y les dispararon. Según el sargento del gobierno cubano. Rolando Pérez Quintosa, un policía que escuchó los disparos llegó al lugar y también recibió un disparo en el pecho, muriendo un mes después de sus heridas. Luis Miguel Almeida, quien también era guardia en las instalaciones, y René Salmerón, co-conspirador, fueron capturados y condenados a muerte. El resto del grupo recibió largas penas de prisión.
Elías Pérez Bocourt, un vecino de 22 años, fue invitado a unirse al grupo con otros vecinos para ayudar a transportar los 27 contenedores de gasolina necesarios para el viaje. Fue condenado a 30 años de prisión, sin embargo, afirma no tener conocimiento de que el policía Pérez Quintosa era parte de la trama y se suponía que debía permitir que los fugitivos lo ataran con el otro policía y tomar sus armas. Afirma que el grupo, incluidos mujeres y niños, abordó el barco y, cuando no pudo arrancar, Almeida y el otro guardia regresaron al muelle. Pronto escucharon disparos y Almeida regresó para decirles a todos que escaparan. Posteriormente se enteró de que Almeida había sido sorprendido por dos guardias a los que tuvo que disparar y que también había disparado contra su amigo Pérez Quintosa y el otro guardia, que también estaban amarrados.
48 horas después del tiroteo fueron capturados. Pérez Bocourt sufrió extensos abusos en prisión e inicialmente cumplió ocho años de reclusión en régimen de aislamiento en la prisión Kilo 8 de Camagüey, la peor de Cuba. Posteriormente enviado a la prisión de Combinado del Este, continuó afirmando su inocencia. Finalmente fue liberado el 16 de julio de 2019 después de 27 años en prisión.

Sources: Conflict of Evidence:

Violation Status: Reported: Highly likely / Highly reliable source(s)

Cause of Death: - Other

Occupations: - Military Specific Occupations

External Files: N/A

Relatives in Archive: N/A

Victim Type: - Other - Armed Forces: military or militia

Affiliations: N/A

Other Victims Same Event: - Case 889: Yuri Gómez Reinoso - Case 289: Rafael Guevara Borges - Case 978: Rolando Pérez Quintosa

Case Record - Orosmán Dueñas Valero