Cuba Archive - Case 7050

Case ID: 7050

Title: N/A

First name: Vicente

Last name: Fleitas Cabrera

Suffix: N/A

Aliases: N/A

Name also reported as: N/A

Age: 56

Gender: N/A

Date of Birth: Day:22 / Month:1

Civil Status: Unknown

Date of death/disappearance: Day:6 / Month:7 / Year:1980

Citizenship: Cuba

Last known address: N/A

Last known city: Alquizar

Last known province-TOD: La Habana

Last known province current: La Habana

Last known country: Cuba

Location death-address: Cuban territorial waters near the mouth of the Canimar River in Matanzas

Location of death - city: N/A

Location of death province - at TOD: Matanzas

Location of death province - current: 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: No

Date of arrest: N/A

Imprisoned/Detained: Location: N/A

How long imprisoned/detained: N/A

Death attributed to: Castro regime

Death attribution detail: Armed Forces: FAR (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias) Navy

Associated Event: 1980 Canimar River massacre

Case description:

Civilian passenger of the excursion boat 'XX Aniversario' who died of bullet wounds from air and sea attacks by Cuban forces during the hijacking of the boat in an attempt to flee Cuba. After government forces fired on the passengers, they sunk the boat. His body was recovered and the Cuban government initially refused to allow the family to hold a wake and set out to dump the body in the ocean. Amidst the family's protests, a wake was allowed in his native Alquizar. (See Case Profile on the Massacre at www.cubaarchive.org.) Fleitas had gone to Matanzas to visit relatives when they decided to go on the excursion. He left a wife, three children and several grandchildren. His parents had emigrated to Cuba from Spain. After his death, the family was shrouded in silence and fear.  The  toll  of  this  massacre  was reportedly 71 victims,  although Cuba  Archive  has  only 13 names. (See the Reports section of www.CubaArchive.org for a detailed account of the events.)
================================
Pasajero del barco de excursión 'XX Aniversario' que murió de heridas de bala de ataques aéreos y marítimos de las fuerzas cubanas durante el secuestro de la embarcación en un intento de huir de Cuba. Después que las fuerzas gubernamentales dispararon contra los pasajeros, hundieron el barco. Su cuerpo fue recuperado pero el gobierno cubano en un principio se negó a permitir a la familia a celebrar un velorio y se dispuso a lanzar el cuerpo al mar. En medio de las protestas de la familia, se permitió un velorio en su nativo Alquizar. Se reportó un total de 71 víctimas, aunque Cuba Archive solo ha podido obtener el nombre de 13. (Consulte la sección Informes de www.CubaArchive.org para obtener una descripción detallada de los eventos).

Sources:

Records of the provincial court of Matanzas (reproduced in Fibla, 1996, p. 256). Testimony of niece, Memorial Cubano, Miami, 2/20/2005, and in writing on 12/19/2008. Testimony of resident of Matanzas, 2007. 
Testimony of niece. Testimony of brother of one of the hijackers, by telephone from Miami, March 27, 2017. Interview with professor living in New York city who lived in Matanzas at the time of the massacre and knew survivors, May 27, 2007. Jesus Duva, Llegan a España dos cubanos liberados por mediación de Fraga, Madrid, El Pais, Mar. 21 1992. Official record of the Provincial Court of Matanzas, published in Dr. Alberto Fibla, Barbarie: Hundimiento del Remolcador 13 de Marzo. Miami: Rodes Printing, 1996.  "Cuba reportedly sank hijacked excursion boat in 1980," Associated Press, Washington D.C., 8 December, 1985.  Joseph B. Treaster, ”Radio Martí Says Cuba Sank Hijacked Boat in  ’80,”  The New York Times, 8 September 1985.  José Pérez-Marat, La Masacre del Canimar, Miami, undated report. Tim  Bower, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, Endowment for Cuban American National Foundation, Miami, 1993.  Norberto Fuentes, ed. Modesto Arocha, Children of the Enemy, The International Republican Institute, October 1996, /www.sigloxxi.org/Archivo/children.htm.  Armando M. Lago, “Cuba: The Human Cost of Social Revolution,” Unpublished manuscript.

Conflict of Evidence:

Violation Status: Confirmed with primary source(s)

Cause of Death: - Extrajudicial killing: in exit attempt

Occupations: - Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations

External Files: N/A

Relatives in Archive: - Niece/Nephew in Case 379: Onelia Quintana Cremales

Victim Type: - Attempting exit

Affiliations: N/A

Other Victims Same Event: N/A

Case Record - Vicente Fleitas Cabrera