The murder of María Emilia Savigne Borjas, 38, a mother of three and resident of Santiago de Cuba, by her ex-partner, has raised the confirmed number of femicides in Cuba to 19 so far in 2024.
Independent feminist platforms verified the incident that occurred on the public street on the morning of May 23, which was initially reported by the communicator Yosmany Mayeta on social media.
The gender observatories YoSíTeCreo in Cuba and Alas Tensas expressed their sorrow over the crime and sent their condolences to Savigne's three children, as well as to other family members and loved ones.
The victim was stabbed by her ex-partner, Yoel Menéndez Rivera, while waiting for transportation from her workplace, accompanied by one of her children and her current partner, Mayeta reported on the same day of the incident.
Savigne survived the attack thanks to the intervention of several individuals and was admitted to Joaquín Castillo Duany Military Hospital, where she underwent surgery. Unfortunately, she passed away the following day due to the severity of her injuries.
The woman, who had a child in common with the aggressor, had already filed a report with the police, apparently due to prior threats she had received from Menéndez. "But the authorities did nothing about it," Mayeta stated.
The platforms YoSíTeCreo in Cuba and Alas Tensas also reported on Monday a new case that requires access to the police investigation.
From January to date, the underreporting recorded by OGAT and YSTCC includes three attempted femicides and a total of six cases that require access to police investigations. These involve the deaths of an elderly woman in Esperanza, Villa Clara; another identified as Irma; and Teresa Moliner Bosa, both in Havana; Tania Reyes and Samantha (Sami) Heredia Odrens in Santiago de Cuba; and Laura Castillo Zulueta, also in the Cuban capital.
In 2023, the highest number of femicides recorded in a single year in Cuba was reported, totaling 89, according to the underreporting of cases tracked by these organizations since 2019.
Between those two years, the observatories recorded 220 femicides in the country.
Despite the increase in fatal incidents of violence against women, the Cuban regime did not include the concept of femicide in the Penal Code approved in May 2022.
Five Cubans were sentenced to life in prison for the murders of women in 2023, as reported by officials from the Supreme Court and the Attorney General's Office on the television program "Hacemos Cuba," hosted by regime spokesperson Humberto López.
Last year, the Cuban judicial system also sentenced two other feminicides to 40 years in prison, with over 70% of the accused receiving sentences between 25 and 30 years of incarceration.
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