Armed Forces officer accuses deceased young Cuban's grandfather of 'defamation'

An official from the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) would have accused the grandfather of the young Maikol Arcia Hernández of "defamation," the 16-year-old teenager who committed suicide in May 2023 while serving in the Active Military Service (SMA).

Alfredo González posted it in the Facebook group 'No more deaths in Military Service in Cuba,' denouncing the behavior of the officer, and expressing the pain and desire for justice of the families of young victims.

I just found out that the officer responsible for Maikol, Julio César's 'son' who lost his life in the Military Service, accused the father Julio César to the police for 'defamation', for a comment [that he posted] on the networks about that officer," said González, father of a young man who also lost his life in the SMA.

The accused, Julio César Correa Hernández, has shown on social media the pain caused by the absence of his grandson, whom he considers and has raised as a son. In addition to grieving the loss, Correa Hernández has been critical of the military establishment of the Cuban regime, which he denounces as a cruel institution that inflicts mistreatment on recruits.

In July 2023, a few weeks after the death of young Maikol, the grandfather wrote on Facebook: "I wish all those dogs who mistreated you and abused your innocence behind my back and your whole family's to go to hell. No to the Mandatory Military Service."

Since then, the man has continued to express his sadness and outrage over what happened to his grandson. He has also joined the group of relatives who, increasingly, are raising their voices to denounce the recruitment of young people for the SMA.

What happened to Maikol and who could be the officer reporting his grandfather?

On May 26, 2023, Maikol Arcia Hernández, born in Güines, Mayabeque, took his own life at Unit 6244, located in the municipality of San José de las Lajas. As his grandfather explained, the young recruit suffered from mental disorders that were not assessed by military medical authorities.

Three months ago, he told me he was going to take his own life with a gunshot. I had a deep conversation with him. On the third day, I informed Captain Yordany about my concerns as a family father, who told me that it was nonsense," Correa Hernández detailed in his publication at the end of July that year.

The "Captain Yordany" could be the officer who has now filed a "defamation" complaint against Maikol's grandfather. Gonzalez's post does not mention the identity of the officer in question, but Correa Hernández's account pointed to this officer as responsible for the tragedy.

Shortly after the young man's suicide, the grandfather recounted that he had asked said officer not to give weapons to his grandson "to prevent greater harm," but the captain ignored his request.

The officer did not understand and made him stand guard in a silo where weapons and ammunition are stored. "From 6 in the evening, as I mentioned, the body of this innocent man was lying there like a dog until they removed it at 10 at night," Correa Hernández reported.

This Tuesday, without identifying him, González referred to the behavior of the officer after the tragic incident. "When the child died, he never had the dignity, the humility to say to the family, at least, 'I'm sorry'."

"He never cared about investigating what happened, about taking care of the family, about checking on the family," described the father of Annier González, an 18-year-old who committed suicide with a rifle that was given to him for guard duty at the SMA.

Regretting the lack of empathy and the failure to assume responsibilities by the officer and the armed institution of the Cuban regime, González concluded his post by recalling that "the families who have lost children in the Military Service, we are all like one big family."