The Cuban police recommended "waiting" to the family of Adriel Ruiz Benítez, missing since December 27, when he was preparing to travel from Santa Clara to Havana, according to the last telephone contact that was had with the young man.
“My brother still hasn't shown up. The police say we have to wait, but I'm already desperate, I don't know where to turn. Please, if anyone sees him, inform us at 52444195,” he said this Sunday in Facebook Arelys Ruiz, sister of the missing young man.
In a recent publication, the sister insisted that this Monday there is still no news from Ruiz Benítez and indicated that the family has received contradictory news about the young man's supposed whereabouts.
“They told us that they saw him in Guantánamo and in La Palma, Pinar del Río. This is not confirmed (…) My mother is sick with nerves and I no longer know how to control her,” she said desperately.
News about missing people in Cuba They appear more and more frequently in independent media and social networks used by Cubans. Regarding this alarming trend, barely covered by the official media, the authorities barely offer statements.
Families of missing persons suffer doubly. Added to the pain of the disappearance is the indifference or indolence of the authorities in the face of these events, for which there apparently is no public protocol for action.
In a similar situation to that of Ruiz Benítez's family are the relatives of Karildi Marín, a young mother missing in Havana since last December 14, who have gone to social networks on several occasions in order to obtain information about the whereabouts of the young woman.
In recent days, Yoandri Marin, brother of the young Cuban, reported that the family is devastated by the disappearance of Karildi and offered a reward for anyone who gives him any information about his sister's whereabouts.
"Today is January 8 and nothing about my sister's whereabouts, an entire family devastated and a mother and father suffering, a girl without her mom," he said on his Facebook profile, offering up to 10,000 Cuban pesos to whoever provides valuable information about Karildi's whereabouts.
According to the independent media ElTOQUE (legal), in Cuba no public information has been found on the existence of a special protocol or system for the control and investigation of disappearances.
“The testimonies of relatives of missing persons in the country indicate that the Cuban authorities handle the cases with their backs to the interested parties. Some relatives testify that the investigation of the whereabouts of their missing relatives is not guided by a special body of the MININT, but by the search and capture section of that organization. That section is also in charge of finding and presenting fugitives to justice,” the outlet explained in July 2022.
In its publication, the media pointed out that there are several complaints from family members and friends reporting that they have been for months without receiving instructions or reports from the police authorities. For the aforementioned media, this behavior of the authorities "demonstrates the existence of an imperfect mechanism to treat and investigate disappearances."
“Given these imperfections, the legal resources of families and friends of missing people are limited. Beyond complaint resources to the body in charge of guiding the investigation (the MININT or the Prosecutor's Office), there are no other tools to ensure that the institutions promote actions to find their loved ones. Nor do they have any way to oppose the archiving of investigations or the suspension of search actions,” he said. ElTOQUE.
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