{"id":12524,"date":"2024-05-23T11:48:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-23T15:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cubalex.org\/?p=12524"},"modified":"2024-05-23T12:54:49","modified_gmt":"2024-05-23T16:54:49","slug":"police-negligence-in-cuba-the-death-in-custody-of-luis-angel-benitez-hernandez","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cubalex.org\/en\/2024\/05\/23\/negligencia-policial-en-cuba-la-muerte-en-custodia-de-luis-angel-benitez-hernandez\/","title":{"rendered":"Police negligence in Cuba: The death in custody of Luis \u00c1ngel Ben\u00edtez Hern\u00e1ndez"},"content":{"rendered":"

Luis \u00c1ngel Ben\u00edtez Hern\u00e1ndez, 28, died while in custody at the San Juan y Mart\u00ednez police station in Pinar del R\u00edo province. His death highlights serious human rights violations and the State's failure to fulfill its obligations.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to information provided to Cubalex by family members, on May 6, Luis \u00c1ngel Ben\u00edtez Hern\u00e1ndez set fire to his own house and also to the home of his former partner in the midst of an overwhelming emotional outburst. He then voluntarily surrendered to the police without resistance, informing them that he had ingested poison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Luis \u00c1ngel Ben\u00edtez Hern\u00e1ndez, on the right. Photo taken from the social network Facebook. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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However, the police ignored his condition, claiming it was simply alcohol intoxication. They took him to the local Modesto G\u00f3mez Rubio polyclinic, where he did not receive adequate medical attention. He was treated with his hands cuffed and was only given vitamin B6 and dextrose, without any specific procedures being performed to treat the poisoning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the clinic, they issued a medical certificate that showed no visible signs of blows to his body. Around 4:00 a.m., they took him to the police station, where Luis \u00c1ngel was beaten and mistreated. At dawn, his mother went to visit him at the station and found him in inhumane conditions: completely naked, covered in feces, and handcuffed to a ladder. Despite the restrictions imposed by the police, she managed to take a photograph of her son's body as evidence of the deplorable conditions in which he was being held. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The police admitted that Luis \u00c1ngel died at the station and that he was vomiting, also acknowledging that he had told them during his arrest that he had poisoned himself. The director of the polyclinic confirmed that the young man arrived at the medical center already deceased and that the injury report issued to the National Revolutionary Police (PNR) did not record any obvious signs of blows when he was transferred from the polyclinic to the police station. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the forensic medical examination, the mother was questioned about the bruises Luis \u00c1ngel had on his face and body, and whether they were aware of any physical altercation, which confirms the mistreatment he suffered while in custody. Furthermore, according to the family, a police officer admitted to hitting him after the young man spat on him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To date, authorities have offered no explanation to the family regarding the circumstances of Luis \u00c1ngel's death or the mistreatment he suffered while in custody at the PNR unit. His parents have not been allowed access to any documents and have only been told to await the results of the investigation and autopsy, without being provided any further information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The family filed a complaint with the military prosecutor's office, where they were informed that their case would be processed as a grievance, without receiving any guidance or details about their rights to seek justice for their son's death. Furthermore, they lack legal representation. The lawyer they consulted advised them to hire him only if they disagreed with the investigation's findings, emphasizing that few lawyers would dare to take on a case of this nature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We note that Juan \u00c1ngel Ben\u00edtez Peraza expressed his concern for his safety and that of his family due to possible reprisals from the authorities. He informed Cubalex that, after reporting what happened to his son, three State Security officers, including the lieutenant colonel in charge of the MININT (Ministry of the Interior) in San Juan y Mart\u00ednez, a lieutenant colonel in charge of \u201ccounterrevolution and terrorism,\u201d and another agent identified as \u201cSoto,\u201d went to the home of the young man\u2019s mother, where he was staying, to threaten him for associating with \u201ccounterrevolutionary and terrorist elements.\u201d The officers warned him that if he continued with these alleged ties, he could be imprisoned.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1\/ \ud83d\uded1 #CubalexComplaint<\/a>@CubalexDDHH<\/a> He received information about the death of Luis \u00c1ngel Ben\u00edtez Hern\u00e1ndez, which occurred last Monday, May 6, while he was in police custody at the PNR station in San Juan y Mart\u00ednez, Pinar del R\u00edo. pic.twitter.com\/h7TrfaYHBo<\/a><\/p>\u2014 Cubalex (@CubalexDDHH) May 23, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote>