Cuba Archive - Case 5308

Case ID: 5308

Title: N/A

First name: Ricardo Aramís

Last name: Chang Batista

Suffix: N/A

Aliases: El chino Chang

Name also reported as: José Chang

Age: N/A

Gender: Male

Date of Birth: N/A

Civil Status: Unknown

Date of death/disappearance: Day:25 / Month:10 / Year:1957

Citizenship: N/A

Last known address: N/A

Last known city: Estrada Palma

Last known province-TOD: Oriente

Last known province current: Granma

Last known country: Cuba

Location death-address: El Coco, Sierra Maestra

Location of death - city: Jibacoa

Location of death province - at TOD: Oriente

Location of death province - current: Granma

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: N/A

Imprisoned/Detained: Location: N/A

How long imprisoned/detained: N/A

Death attributed to: Anti-Batista Resistance / Rebel Army

Death attribution detail: N/A

Associated Event: N/A

Case description:

Cuban-Chinese member of the Rebel Army tried summarily and executed by his upper command. He was charged by guerrilla lieutenant Lalo Sardiñas of being a police informer (chivato) and of brutalizing the local rural population. Two of his associates were executed with him. Ché Guevara played a leading role in the Rebel Army tribunals that sentenced him to death and wrote in his diary about this as well as the execution. His family insists he was no criminal. He had been a resistance leader in Manzanillo (heading sabotage and action operations) and had been highly regarded by his peers. He then joined the armed fighters in the Sierra Maestra mountains as a first leiutenant, however, apparently resistance leader Frank País had ordered his execution and that of "el bizco" Echevarría (the family says there is a letter proving this claim).
Facing his execution, Chang had requested to see Father Sardiñas but he was not nearby and Chang requested that his desire to see the priest be noted.
Along with him, a local farmer and messenger for the Rebel Army of unknown name was tried and executed for raping an adolescent woman.
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Cubano-chino miembro del Ejército Rebelde. Fue acusado por el teniente guerrillero Lalo Sardiñas de ser un informante de la policía (chivato) y de brutalizar a la población rural local. Dos de sus asociados fueron ejecutados con él. Ché Guevara desempeñó un papel destacado en los tribunales del Ejército Rebelde que lo condenaron a muerte y lo escribió así como de la ejecución en su diario. Su familia insistió en que no era un criminal. Había sido un líder de resistencia en Manzanillo (dirigiendo operaciones de sacción y abotaje) y había sido muy apreciado por sus compañeros. Luego se unió a los combatientes armados en las montañas de la Sierra Maestra como primer teniente, sin embargo, aparentemente el líder de resistencia Frank País había ordenado su ejecución y la del bizco Echevarría (la familia dice que hay una carta que demuestra esta afirmación).

Sources: Conflict of Evidence:

Violation Status: Confirmed with primary source(s)

Cause of Death: - Execution

Occupations: - Business and Financial Operations Occupations

External Files: N/A

Relatives in Archive: N/A

Victim Type: - Anti-Batista insurgent or resistance member

Affiliations: N/A

Other Victims Same Event: N/A

Case Record - Ricardo Aramís Chang Batista