The death of the Cuban soldier Leandro Muñoz Zamora, who jumped off a military vehicle in motion last Wednesday, June 12, "could have been avoided." People from the environment of the 20-year-old young man, a native of Santa Clara, who died instantly after speaking with his girlfriend and telling her what he had already decided to do, express this point forcefully.
"I believe he didn't do it to kill himself, but well... We are all devastated. This could have been avoided, as well as what is happening today at the Hilario Quemado Military Unit in Villa Clara. They are destroying the children there. They are destroying the youth of Cuba. The children are being mistreated. It’s like a prison," says a person from the deceased’s circle, their voice interrupted by tears.
The young man got on the bus crying that was going to take him from Santa Clara to Matanzas to work for six months in construction, with a salary of 7,000 pesos (20 dollars a month) as part of the Mandatory Military Service. His mom approached the pickup point on a motorbike to say goodbye, as reported by a witness who was traveling on the bus when a briefcase fell to the ground; someone made a move to pick it up and without giving time for anything, Leandro Muñoz Zamora "gained momentum" and threw himself headfirst out the window. At the speed the bus was going, the impact on the asphalt was fatal.
The driver was the first to get off the bus and approach the victim. She was lying on the ground. He checked her pulse and she was already dead "instantaneously." "We all assume it was because they sent him far from his home. They took us there against our will and had told us in no uncertain terms that the passes would be for 15 days every six months. Before that, we were working at Tabacuba (Cuban Tobacco Business Group)," says the witness to the event, who reiterates that "the young man had papers and yet they took him away."
When the mother arrived at the place where her son had committed suicide, it was "a nightmare." "She threw herself down beside him and kept saying he was asleep. We were all in shock, and now we are waiting to see what they will do with us. We all have family problems."
This witness also believes that the death of Leandro Muñoz could have been avoided "if the Service had not been mandatory. Not only that tragedy but all the ones that have happened".
On the bus, the witness added, there were 13 people. Among them, the driver, three women, and a group of soldiers, who got off after the accident. Everyone was shocked by what happened. In fact, the transfer to Matanzas was suspended and now the affected passengers are waiting at home to be told what will happen to them.
From the deceased's environment, they claim that he "had papers", referring to medical certificates justifying that, due to psychological reasons, Leandro Muñoz was not in a condition to join the Service. Nonetheless, disregarding this situation, he was called up.
"He had panic attacks. He was always afraid to be alone. He had problems and psychologist's reports, but when they were presented, they were ignored. He got on the bus and his mom says that when she said goodbye, he started to cry. She thought it was just that homesickness that kids get when they separate from their mom for the first time. Not 15 minutes had passed when she was called and told that he had jumped off the moving bus, which was going at 100 km/h, at kilometer 254. That's when the events took place."
"It was very wrong on the part of the military because the bus was not accompanied by any responsible person to protect the children. Three soldiers were supposed to be watching over those children who were traveling to Matanzas, and there was no one. There was total neglect. That was very bad," adds a person close to the family.
Even though everyone traveling on the bus had spent the "pre-party" together, many did not remember having seen the deceased before. He was discreet and did not attract attention. No one bothered him either. He went unnoticed.
What do you think?
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