Cuba Archive - Case 791

Case ID: 791

Title: N/A

First name: Alberto

Last name: Sigas Hechevarría

Suffix: N/A

Aliases: N/A

Name also reported as: N/A

Age: 32

Gender: Male

Date of Birth: Day:22 / Month:2 / Year:1977

Civil Status: Unknown

Date of death/disappearance: Day:15 / Month:1 / Year:2010

Citizenship: N/A

Last known address: N/A

Last known city: Havana

Last known province-TOD: Ciudad de La Habana

Last known province current: Ciudad de La Habana

Last known country: Cuba

Location death-address: Villa Marista, State Security Headquarters

Location of death - city: Havana

Location of death province - at TOD: Ciudad de La Habana

Location of death province - current: Ciudad de 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: Yes

Date of arrest: N/A

Imprisoned/Detained: Location: Villa Marista, State Security Headquarters

How long imprisoned/detained: N/A

Death attributed to: Castro regime

Death attribution detail: State Security

Associated Event: N/A

Case description:

Alberto had been a policeman and had become disaffected with the Castro regime, eventually joining a peaceful civil society group (Movimiento Opositores por una Nueva República) and participating with another group in Regla, his neighborhood in Havana. (All such groups are banned in Cuba.) In November 2009, State Security agents led by an officer by the first name Yoan (alias "Mochilita") began harassing him repeatedly, threatening him with his disappearance unless he abandoned his opposition activities. The morning of January 15th 2010, Alberto left home to go for a brief visit to his mother's home at a Havana neighborhood nearby (Reparto Abel Santamaría, Municipio Boyeros). He was accompanied by an individual who went by the name Dalver (nicknamed “El Herrero”), who the family later learned was a State Security collaborator or agent. Alberto did not arrive home or at his mother´s home. His wife went to the local police station looking for him and three days later received a call from them informing her that her husband was being held at Villa Marista (State Security headquarters) and would be released in 48-72 hours. He did not return and was never heard from again. The authorities deny knowing his whereabouts and claim he was not in detention. The family continues demanding information of his fate and holds the government responsible. His wife was a few weeks pregnant at the time of his disappearance and gave birth to a boy.
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Ex policía que se había distanciado del régimen y se había unido a un grupo opositor pacífico. Agentes de la Seguridad del Estado lo acosaban y amenazaban con su desaparición si no abandonaba sus actividades de oposición. Una mañana, salió de su casa para visitar a su madre en un vecindario cercano, pero nunca llegó. Fue visto en compañía de un individuo que la familia supo más tarde que era un colaborador o agente de Seguridad del Estado. Su esposa fue a la estación de policía local para preguntar por él. Tres días después, recibió una llamada de la estación informándole que su esposo estaba recluido en la sede de la Seguridad del Estado, Villa Marista, y que sería liberado en 48 a 72 horas. Nunca más se supo de él y las autoridades afirman que no estaba detenido y niegan saber de su paradero.

Sources: Conflict of Evidence:

Violation Status: Confirmed with primary source(s)

Cause of Death: - Disappearance: forced

Occupations: N/A

External Files: N/A

Relatives in Archive: N/A

Victim Type: - Political opponent: member of opposition group

Affiliations: - Partido Republicano de Cuba

Other Victims Same Event: N/A

Case Record - Alberto Sigas Hechevarría