Cuba Archive - Case 1384

Case ID: 1384

Title: N/A

First name: Raúl

Last name: Alberna Martínez

Suffix: N/A

Aliases: N/A

Name also reported as: N/A

Age: N/A

Gender: Male

Date of Birth: N/A

Civil Status: Unknown

Date of death/disappearance: Day:15 / Month:8 / Year:2008

Citizenship: Cuba

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: At sea: North

Location of death - city: N/A

Location of death province - at TOD: N/A

Location of death province - current: N/A

Location of death - country: N/A

Trial held?: N/A

Docket Number: N/A

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:

Left Cuba in a makeshift raft with seven others hoping to reach the United States. Reportedly, most were human rights' activists escaping constant harassment from the authorities. Four bodies chewed by sharks were found by fishermen August 21 and 22 within a 33 mile stretch from near Long Key to Key Largo, Florida. They were all too decomposed for visual identification, but Florida authorities, with the support of family members and human rights supporters, conducted DNA tests that confirmed their identities eight months later. The Cuban government refused to cooperate. His body and that of three others were never found.
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Salió de Cuba en una balsa improvisada con otros siete esperando llegar a Estados Unidos. Según se informa, la mayoría eran activistas de derechos humanos que escapaban del constante hostigamiento de las autoridades. Su cuerpo y el de otros tres, todos mordidos por los tiburones, fueron encontrados por unos pescadores en un tramo de 33 millas entre Long Key y Key Largo, Florida. Todos estaban demasiado descompuestos para la identificación visual, pero las autoridades de la Florida, con el apoyo de familiares y defensores de los derechos humanos, realizaron pruebas de ADN que confirmaron su identidad ocho meses después. El gobierno cubano se negó a cooperar. Su cuerpo y el de otros tres que viajaban con él nunca fueron encontrados.

Sources: Conflict of Evidence:

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

Cause of Death: - Disappearance: in exit attempt

Occupations: - N/A

External Files: N/A

Relatives in Archive: N/A

Victim Type: - Attempting exit

Affiliations: N/A

Other Victims Same Event: - Case 1344: Rolando Alberna - Case 1416: Rolando Aguirre Patterson - Case 1460: Dairon Díaz - Case 1158: Jorge González - Case 1383: Iván Peláez - Case 1266: Osmani Segura - Case 1402: Elmer Pérez

Case Record - Raúl Alberna Martínez