Cuba Archive - Case 2579

Case ID: 2579

Title: N/A

First name: Efrén

Last name: Rodríguez López

Suffix: N/A

Aliases: Efraín Rodríguez

Name also reported as: Efraín Rodríguez

Age: N/A

Gender: Male

Date of Birth: N/A

Civil Status: Unknown

Date of death/disappearance: Day:18 / Month:4 / Year:1961

Citizenship: Cuba

Last known address: N/A

Last known city: N/A

Last known province-TOD: La Habana

Last known province current: N/A

Last known country: Cuba

Location death-address: La Cabaña Fortress prison

Location of death - city: Havana

Location of death province - at TOD: La Habana

Location of death province - current: Ciudad de La Habana

Location of death - country: Cuba

Trial held?: N/A

Docket Number: N/A

Sentence details: N/A

Arrest or detention at time of death: Yes

Date of arrest: N/A

Imprisoned/Detained: Location: La Cabaña Fortress prison

How long imprisoned/detained: N/A

Death attributed to: Castro regime

Death attribution detail: N/A

Associated Event: Anti-Castro insurgency/resistance

Case description:

Executed by firing squad with seven other members of the anti-Castro resistance.  Their death sentence had been delivered in a 20-minute summary trial held at La Cabaña Fortress prison as the Bay of Pigs invasion was beginning a day earlier.  A ninth individual was tried, Tomás Fernández-Travieso, but because he was a minor was instead sentenced to 30 years of prison (of which he served 19). The eight men awaited their execution together in a special cell and, for hours, prayed the rosary before being taken one by one to the wall for their execution. Other prisoners could hear the firing squad and coup de grace shots delivered at the end of each execution. 
Efren was charged with planting a bomb in the electric transformer at Campo Florido. Was married with two children.
From the testimony of fellow prisoner, Tomás Fernández-Travieso, member of the resistance group Directorio Revolucionario Estudiantil, who bid seven fellow prisoners farewell before they were executed on 4/17/1961: "Efren hugged me between the bars of his cell, left me his lighter to give to his wife. He received one coup de grâce shot ."
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Juzgado y ejecutado junto con otros siete hombres, había sido sentenciado a 30 años de prisión, pero fue ejecutado de todos modos. Fue acusado de plantar una bomba en un transformador eléctrico de Campo Florido. Estaba casado y tenía dos hijos.
El 17 de abril de 1961, el juicio sumario de nueve miembros de la resistencia duró solo 20 minutos y tuvo lugar en la prisión de La Fortaleza de la Cabaña cuando comenzaba la invasión de la Bahía de Cochinos. Todos menos uno fueron condenados a muerte, la única excepción fue Tomás Fernández-Travieso, un menor que fue sentenciado a 30 años de prisión (de los cuales finalmente cumplió 19). Esperaron su ejecución juntos, en una celda especial, y durante horas rezaron el rosario (todos tenían rosarios). Fueron llevados uno por uno al paredón para ser ejecutados por un pelotón de fusilamiento, se escucharon los disparos, incluidos los tiros de gracia que le dieron a cada uno.
Del testimonio de otro prisionero, Tomás Fernández-Travieso, miembro del grupo de resistencia Directorio Revolucionario Estudiantil, que despidió a siete compañeros de prisión antes de ser ejecutados el 17 de abril de 1961: "Efren me abrazó entre los barrotes de su celda, izquierda su y me dio su encendedor para dárselo a su esposa. Recibió un tiro de gracia ".

Sources:

Beruvides, 1993, p. 167 . Fernández Travieso, Ocho fusilados. El Nuevo Herald. 17 abril 1991, p. 8-a. J.S. Velázquez, Aplican pena de muerte, El Mundo. J.S. Velázquez, Solicitan pena de muerte, El Mundo. Encinosa, 1994, p. 94. Ruíz, 1972, p. 82. Cuban American National Foundation, Quilt of Fidel Castro's Genocide, 1994. WAQI-Radio Mambí, p. 35. Circuito Sur, July 2002, p. 75.
Tomás Fernández-Travieso, Testigo del sacrificio (hace 55 años), April 2016. http://eldiariodelamarina.com/testimonio-testigo-del-sacrificio/
(Testimony of fellow prisoner, Tomás Fernández-Travieso, member of the resistance group Directorio Revolucionario Estudiantil, who bid eight fellow prisoners farewell before they were executed on 4/17/1961.
Tomás Fernández-Travieso, Testigo del sacrificio (hace 55 años), April 2016. http://eldiariodelamarina.com/testimonio-testigo-del-sacrificio/
Testimony of fellow prisoner, Tomás Fernández-Travieso, member of the resistance group Directorio Revolucionario Estudiantil, who bid eight fellow prisoners farewell before they were executed on 4/17/1961.

Conflict of Evidence:

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

Cause of Death: - Execution: by firing squad

Occupations: - Architecture and Engineering Occupations

External Files: N/A

Relatives in Archive: N/A

Victim Type: - Anti-Castro insurgent or resistance member

Affiliations: - Rescate Revolucionario

Other Victims Same Event: - Case 2578: Carlos Antonio Rodríguez Cabo - Case 2578: Carlos Antonio Rodríguez Cabo - Case 2533: Virgilio Campanería Ángel - Case 2602: Alberto Tapia-Ruano Eligio-de-la-Puente - Case 2576: Lázaro Reyes Benítez - Case 2581: Filiberto Rodríguez Ravelo - Case 2531: José Calderín

Case Record - Efrén Rodríguez López