Cuba Archive - Case 5455

Case ID: 5455

Title: N/A

First name: Raúl

Last name: Díaz Naranjo

Suffix: N/A

Aliases: Comandante Jorge / Pimienta ( Pepper)

Name also reported as: Jesús Díaz Naranjo, René Díaz Naranjo, René Díaz

Age: 40

Gender: Male

Date of Birth: N/A

Civil Status: Unknown

Date of death/disappearance: Day:15 / Month:8 / Year:1964

Citizenship: N/A

Last known address: San Manuel

Last known city: Puerto Padre

Last known province-TOD: Oriente

Last known province current: Las Tunas

Last known country: Cuba

Location death-address: Boniato Prison

Location of death - city: Santiago

Location of death province - at TOD: Oriente

Location of death province - current: Oriente

Location of death - country: Cuba

Trial held?: N/A

Docket Number: 438 of 1964

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: N/A

Associated Event: N/A

Case description:

Former Rebel Army commander who turned against the Communist takeover of the revolution and became a leader of the anti-Castro group 'Sentries of Liberty.' He was captured, subjected to a sham summary trial and sentenced to death. He was executed together with Erásimo Avila Arévalo. His blood was drained before the execution at the "small hospital" at the prison and fellow prisoners could hear him yelling to not drain his blood. On his way back to the prison galley immediately before he was taken for his execution, he yelled out "they took almost all my blood." Upon hearing this, fellow prisoners began to sing the national hymn.
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Ex Comandante del ejército rebelde que se opuso a que los comunistas se apoderaran de la revolución y se convirtió en un líder del grupo anti-Castro "centinelas de la libertad." Fue capturado, sometido a un simulacro de juicio sumario y condenado a muerte. Fue ejecutado junto con Erásimo Ávila Arévalo. Su sangre drenada antes de la ejecución. Según se informa el día de su ejecución, fue llevado a sacarle la sangre y camino de regreso a la galera de la prisión inmediatamente antes de ser llevado para su ejecución, gritó "Me sacaron casi toda mi sangre". Al oír esto, otros prisioneros comenzaron a cantar el himno nacional.

Sources: Conflict of Evidence:

Beruvides, 1993, p. 109, Cuban American National Foundation, Quilt, 1994 and WAQI-Radio Mambí, p. 90, report him with the fist name René and executed on 11/20/1965. Circuito Sur, July 2002, p. 26, reports him executed by firing squad in Puerto Padre in August 1965.  United States Information Agency, 1993, Year 1963 reports him executed in 1963. Luis Conte Aguero, 6/18/2002 reports him executed on 06/09/1964.  Cuban American National Foundation, Quilt of Fidel Castro's Genocide, 1994; WAQI-Radio Mambí, p. 90; and Circuito Sur, July 2002, p. 26, report him as René Díaz Naranjo, aliases Pimienta and René Díaz, a prisoner last living in Puerto Padre, province of Oriente (now Las Tunas), executed by firing squad in Puerto Padre on November 20, 1965.  Circuito Sur, July 2002, p. 26, reports him executed by firing squad in Puerto Padre in August 1965. Cuban American National Foundation, Quilt of Fidel Castro's Genocide, 1994, reports a Rafael Rodríguez Naranjo as victim of police violence in 1988 in Havana. Some of the sources above report the execution at Pinarito, Holguín.

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

Cause of Death: - Execution: with prior blood extraction

Occupations: - N/A

External Files: N/A

Relatives in Archive: N/A

Victim Type: - Anti-Castro insurgent or resistance member

Affiliations: - Sentries of Liberty - Former Rebel Army Major

Other Victims Same Event: - Case 4286: Erásimo Avila Arévalo

Case Record - Raúl Díaz Naranjo