Cuba Archive - Case 5384

Case ID: 5384

Title: N/A

First name: Elías

Last name: Rivera Bello

Suffix: N/A

Aliases: N/A

Name also reported as: Elio Rivero Bello, Elias Rivero Bello, Elías Esteban Bello

Age: 31

Gender: Male

Date of Birth: Day:3 / Month:9 / Year:1933

Civil Status: Unknown

Date of death/disappearance: Day:28 / Month:5 / Year:1964

Citizenship: N/A

Last known address: N/A

Last known city: Santiago de Cuba

Last known province-TOD: Oriente

Last known province current: Santiago de Cuba

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: N/A

Case description:

According to Cuban government media, Elías was executed with three other men after having been captured off the north coast of Las Villas province while seeking to infiltrate Cuba in a heavily armed vessel from Miami that had first stopped briefly in the islet of Anguilla, Bahamas. With Felipe Vidal Santiago as their leader, the four, described by Cuba as “agents of the Central Intelligence Agency,” had reportedly been sighted by Cuban fishermen, who advised the Cuban Coast Guard. The men threw their weapons overboard before being captured (in March 1964) and were interrogated and tortured for weeks before their execution. Elías left a wife and four children.
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Según los medios del gobierno cubano, Elías ejecutado junto con otros tres hombres después de haber sido capturados frente a la costa norte de la provincia de Las Villas cuando intentaban infiltrarse en Cuba en una embarcación fuertemente armada procedente de Miami que primero se había detenido brevemente en Anguila, un islote de las Bahamas. Los cuatro, descritos como “agentes de la Agencia Central de Inteligencia” con Felipe Vidal Santiago como su líder, habrían sido avistados por pescadores cubanos, quienes informaron a la Guardia Costera cubana, los hombres arrojaron sus armas por la borda antes de ser capturados en marzo de 1964.  Fueron interrogados y torturados durante semanas antes de su ejecución. Dejó una esposa y cuatro hijos.

Sources: Conflict of Evidence:

Violation Status: Confirmed with primary source(s)

Cause of Death: - Execution: by firing squad

Occupations: - Office and Administrative Support Occupations

External Files: N/A

Relatives in Archive: N/A

Victim Type: - Other

Affiliations: N/A

Other Victims Same Event: - Case 4450: Felipe Vidal Santiago - Case 5383: Ladislao González Benítez - Case 5385: Alfredo Valdés Linares

Case Record - Elías Rivera Bello