Cuba Archive - Case 95

Case ID: 95

Title: N/A

First name: Luis Miguel

Last name: Arias Cala

Suffix: N/A

Aliases: N/A

Name also reported as: N/A

Age: 25

Gender: Male

Date of Birth: Day:3 / Month:5 / Year:1989

Civil Status: Unknown

Date of death/disappearance: Day:13 / Month:10 / Year:2014

Citizenship: N/A

Last known address: N/A

Last known city: Holguin

Last known province-TOD: Holguín

Last known province current: Holguín

Last known country: Cuba

Location death-address: Hospital Vladimir Lenin, Holguín

Location of death - city: Holguín

Location of death province - at TOD: Holguín

Location of death province - current: Holguín

Location of death - country: Cuba

Trial held?: Yes

Docket Number: N/A

Sentence details: 8 years, increased by 7 more years successively on 3 occasions

Arrest or detention at time of death: Yes

Date of arrest: N/A

Imprisoned/Detained: Location: Hospital Vladimir Lenin, Holguín

How long imprisoned/detained: 8 years, since age 17

Death attributed to: Castro regime

Death attribution detail: Hospital and prison authorities

Associated Event: Unauthorized/suspicious clinical or pharmaceutical interventions

Case description:

Died a few months after being forcefully injected with a toxic mix while imprisoned.  At age 17, already married and with a small son, Luis found a much older co-worker who had been visiting sexually abusing his wife (the man had come to visit him and had been drinking). They got into a fight and Luis hit him on the head with a brick and despite a surgery, he did not survive due to excess alcohol in his system.  Luis was sentenced to eight years of prison. His sentence was increased by seven more years on three successive occasions for confronting prison authorities (charged with "attempt") for sending information of prison abuses to human rights groups UNPACU and Opositor por una Nueva República. His health had deteriorated considerably, as he suffered several conditions including isquemic cardiopathy and asthma (on two occasions had been allowed home on short medical leaves). In 2012 he went on a 77-day hunger strike to demand his release at least on medical leave, as he had already served his 8-year initial sentence.  Prison authorities agreed to transfer him to the penal wing of a hospital on October 2012, as he was paralyzed from the waist down as a result of the hunger strike. A prisoner in the same ward (subsequently threatened with death) told he family that on May 24, 2014, a doctor at the hospital ordered he be injected with a substance the nurse refused to administer. The doctor had four persons hold him down and administered the injection by force. His condition deteriorated immediately. He was moved to intensive care, but his care was deficient, he developed large bruises and was not being fed. After a tracheotomy, his lungs filled with water and he became bloated, but the doctors did not treat it and he died.  His younger brother is currently in prison after indignantly attacking with a knife one of the doctors who refused Luis treatment. He is accused of attempting against the security of the state.
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Murió unos meses después de que le inyectaran a la fuerza una mezcla tóxica mientras estaba encarcelado. A los 17 años, casado y con un hijo pequeño, Luis se enteró que un compañero de trabajo mucho mayor que él había estado visitando y abusando sexualmente de su esposa (el hombre había venido a visitarlo y había estado bebiendo). Hubo una pelea y Luis lo golpeó en la cabeza con un ladrillo y a pesar de una cirugía, no sobrevivió por exceso de alcohol en su organismo. Luis fue condenado a ocho años de prisión. Su sentencia fue aumentada en siete años más en tres ocasiones sucesivas por enfrentarse a las autoridades penitenciarias (acusado de "intento") por enviar información sobre abusos en prisión a los grupos de derechos humanos UNPACU y Opositor por una Nueva República. Su salud se había deteriorado considerablemente, ya que padecía varias afecciones, entre ellas cardiopatía isquémica y asma (en dos ocasiones se le había permitido regresar a casa con bajas médicas breves). En 2012 inició una huelga de hambre de 77 días para exigir su liberación al menos con licencia médica, ya que  había cumplido su condena inicial de 8 años. Las autoridades penitenciarias acordaron trasladarlo al ala penal de un hospital en octubre de 2012, ya que estaba paralizado de cintura para abajo como consecuencia de la huelga de hambre. Un preso del mismo pabellón (posteriormente amenazado de muerte) dijo a su familia que el 24 de mayo de 2014 un médico del hospital ordenó que le inyectaran una sustancia que la enfermera se negó a administrar. El médico hizo que cuatro personas lo sujetaran y le administraran la inyección a la fuerza. Su estado se deterioró de inmediato. Murió poco tiempo después de ser trasladado a cuidados intensivos, donde la atención fue deficiente y no fue alimentado (había desarrollado grandes hematomas).  Después de una traqueotomía, sus pulmones se llenaron de agua y se hinchó, pero los médicos no lo atendieron y murió. Su hermano menor se fue a prisión luego de agredir indignado con un cuchillo a uno de los médicos que rechazó el tratamiento de Luis. Se le acusa de atentar contra la seguridad del Estado.

Sources: Conflict of Evidence:

Violation Status: Confirmed with primary source(s)

Cause of Death: - Extrajudicial killing

Occupations: - Construction and Extraction Occupations

External Files: N/A

Relatives in Archive: N/A

Victim Type: - Prisoner / Detainee: Non-political cause

Affiliations: N/A

Other Victims Same Event: N/A

Case Record - Luis Miguel Arias Cala