An eight-year-old boy and a 24-year-old girl were rescued by neighbors, amid a strong police presence, after beingkidnapped by a man this Tuesday in the Pueblo Griffo neighborhood, at the entrance to the city of Cienfuegos.
The kidnapper's name isFelix Millares Vazquezand is the father of the minor. He was prohibited from approaching his children due to his violent behavior, which he used to snatch the child from his maternal grandfather, he toldCyberCuba Yisel Pérez Rodríguez, mother of the little one.
The kidnapping occurred at noon, at the exit of the primary school where the boy is in third grade, in front of all the parents and teachers, according to statements by Tumaini Cruz Montero, a resident of Pueblo Griffo and a friend of the family.
The couple had been separated for some time due to repeated episodes of domestic violence against the mother and the couple's two youngest children and a third, the result of a previous union of Félix, who lives with Yisel.“On other occasions he has taken the children, but the police do nothing because he works for them”Yisel told this news portal.
“I take the kids to school, I go to work and my dad picks them up. “The teacher cannot give the children to their father because everyone here knows that he mistreats them.”said Yisel, adding that Félix“He hit my father, who is an older man of 61 years old, and took the child”.
Videos sent toCyberCuba, courtesy of friends and family of the victims, show a tense panorama in the vicinity of Félix's house. A strong police presence and neighbors surround the house where the kidnapper has his son and a 24-year-old girl who tried to intercede for the minor's release and ended up being held hostage at knifepoint.
“Félix kidnapped Beatriz and the child, and the police do nothing. Look, they don't do anything, my uncle Ricardo was beaten.”, one of Yisel's cousins is heard saying in the video.
“We've been here for four hours and they don't come out.”says a woman in the images in reference to the hostages, while three police officers and a patrol car are seen at the entrance of the house where the events took place.
The visibly upset neighbors demand of the officers: “Let the child be taken out”!, and a woman's voice scolds the captor through the front window of the house. He calls him a “snitch,” and accuses the police of the impunity that has allowed Félix to abuse his family for being an informant.
The human rights activist and coordinator in Cienfuegos of the Cuba en Familia initiative, Carlos Ernesto Díaz, confirmed that the kidnapper is known in Pueblo Griffo for collaborating with State Security. Their denunciations hinder local entrepreneurship more than anything.
"How is it possible that they give me a fine of 3,000 pesos for selling cheese and they don't do anything to this guy because he is an informant? He threatened to stab me to death,"Tumaini questioned in reference to the priorities of law enforcement in Cuba, focused on those who dissident, while crime increases on the island.
Several sources confirm that after a tense situation, which lasted from “12:30 and ended at 7 at the police unit,” the boy and the young woman emerged unharmed thanks to the demands and intervention of the neighbors, while the The police maintained a permissive stance with the kidnapper. So much so that“They took him away without handcuffs, with knives in his hands and laughing, as if to say 'I'll be out soon'”Yisel lamented.
The mother has tried to file a complaint against her ex-husband to protect the children, but the officers have refused to accept it.“They say it doesn't apply because he is the father and has the right.” about her children, the young woman added.
“I told them that if they are waiting until there is a death to act” -Yisel toldCyberCuba-, to which an officer responded that “when there is a dead person, we will go look for him.”
“Whatever happens to me is the responsibility of the Police”, he warned.
The vulnerability of women and children in Cuba has become more evident in recent months. International Women's Day, the platformIYesIBelieveCuba He denounced that there was nothing to celebrate in a country where in 2021 and so far in 2022, at least 38 femicides, 76 political prisoners and an increase and legitimization of police violence were reported.
Families in situations of violence find no way out due to the lack of shelters and specific protocols for victims of gender violence, the independent organization warned.
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